The Vols passed another significant milestone in their quest to salvage the 2007 football season last weekend with a big road win in Starkville, 33-21. Mississippi State is not the pushover that they have been in the past few years and gave the Vols all they wanted in the first half, but the Vols pulled away in the second half and took a giant step forward by securing its first road win of the year. Remember, it is still one game at a time and this was a win that this team should be able to build on..

Once again, the offense was just too much for an opponent to deal with. Eric Ainge directed the offense with a very balanced attack, which will cause future opponents' coaching staffs to work long into the night to come up with a way to slow this Vol attack. With Lucas Taylor almost inviting teams to double cover him after his 11 receptions for 186 yards, other receivers should find openings to make big plays. The running game continues to impress with Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty combining for over 200 yards rushing against the MSU defense. The offensive line continues to be the unsung heroes, having pass blocked extremely well all season and, since the off week, have come together to dominate the line of scrimmage for the running attack too.

The defense continues to be a work in progress but they adjusted at halftime and contained Mississippi State in the second half. The Vols, thanks to Daniel Lincoln's three field goals in the second half, were able to pull away, improving to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the SEC East.

Since this is the third weekend in October, that means Alabama is the next opponent for the Vols. The Crimson Tide is not just an opponent; they are the one opponent that all Vol fans want to beat. It is a very important border game, but in a different context than the Georgia game was two weeks ago. This rivalry has a history that dates all the way back to the days of General Neyland and has held a special place in Tennessee and Alabama fans' hearts. This one is for bragging rights

Going into a hostile stadium to play against Alabama will not be an easy task for Tennessee.

First, Bama is 5-2 and 3-1 in the SEC West. Throw in a new coach in Nick Saban with all the high expectations that he brings for this season, and the Crimson Tide will be sky high for this game Saturday. Before the sun sets on Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday, Saban will have started writing his own history in this classic series with Tennessee joining Bryant, Stallings, Shula and the other Alabama coaches that have gone before him.

Tennessee should also enter this game with confidence, mainly due to Coach Fulmer's history in this contest.

He is 10-3-1 against Alabama, losing only once in Tuscaloosa during his tenure as the Vols' head coach. That lone loss was the last trip in 2005, a season that was marred by injuries and turnovers at the most inopportune times.

Remember the three fumbles, two when the Vols were inside the 'Bama 10. Still, this will be a dog fight right to the final whistle. The team that wins the battle in the trenches, and takes care of the ball, should emerge with a victory.

This game is not only important because of the rivalry, the winner of this contest continues on with their respective march towards the SEC championship game. The loser, well let's just say they would need more than just a little help from other teams.

For the Vols, a win at Alabama is one more step towards respectability as they try and overcome a horrid start to this season when they lost on the road to two very highly ranked teams. This team has worked very hard to turn this season around and this game is but one more step to get to Atlanta in December and somewhere warm for a bowl game.

Just a small note to my fellow columnist Jim Butler; I think that when Vandy let Georgia off the hook last weekend, they might just be home for the holidays. They still have a chance but with only one patsy left on the schedule, they are in deep trouble. By the way, how is that "Rocky Top" rehearsal coming?

The Vols go into Tuscaloosa riding a three-game winning streak. They need to keep their offense rolling (no pun intended) and their defense rested this weekend. If they don't give this game away with mistakes (ala 2005), the fans should be rolling up the road from Alabama filling the fall air with the sweet sound of "Rocky Top." Go Vols!!!!

Frank Gale is a Chronicle correspondent, and his column appears weekly.