No. 6 Alabama never found its footing in a 26-10 loss to No. 14 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, and the day quickly turned into a long slog for just about everyone in crimson.
The offense never got out of the mud. The passing game looked stuck in place, and without Coleman-Williams, Alabama’s receiver group lost the edge it had carried all season.
The junior’s absence reshaped everything about the way the Tide tried to attack. Talty at least handled his part, drilling a 42-yard field goal before halftime and adding an extra point to extend his run without a miss to 329 days.
Rico Scott led Alabama with 54 receiving yards, but even that line came with frustration after two catches slipped through his hands. Lotzeir Brooks was limited to 26 yards, his lowest total since the opener against East Carolina. Kaleb Edwards failed to create much beyond what was in front of him, Derek Meadows was busy but not productive in his first career start, and Noah Rogers and Cederian Morgan were not factors.
Asked about losing Coleman-Williams after the game, Keelon Russell said, "It's not like we're missing Jesus."
Russell was still one of the few Alabama players who looked capable of changing the script. He did not crater in the spot.
His running ability gave Tennessee problems, he kept trying to push the ball downfield, and his release still flashed the kind of arm talent that has made him such a talked-about young quarterback. This was not a polished performance, but it was not a collapse either.
It was the kind of night a developing quarterback is supposed to survive.
The defense had its moments, but not nearly enough of them. Yhonzae Pierre and Devan Thompkins came into the conversation as possible first-round picks, yet Alabama has just two sacks over the last two games, and both belong to Pierre. Tennessee’s plan of getting the ball out quickly and leaning on the run did not stop the Tide from falling apart anyway.
There were bright spots in the secondary. Ivan Taylor produced the game-changing interception in the second quarter, a play that set Alabama up in the red zone for its lone touchdown.
Caleb Woodson led the team with 11 tackles, though he missed one on a nine-yard completion from George MacIntyre to Mike Matthews. Bray Hubbard finished with 10 stops and missed one on DeSean Bishop’s 20-yard run in the second quarter.
Zabien Brown missed most of the game with a "lower extremity" injury, and the back end at least looked closer to expectation than the rest of the defense.
Still, Tennessee delivered the defining drive of the night anyway. Alabama had a chance to seize control, make a statement, and back up the kind of standard Kane Wommack recently compared his defense to, but instead the Tide got pushed around for 15 plays during a 72-yard march that took 9 minutes, 32 seconds and ended with Tennessee stretching the lead to 16 points.
Wommack’s unit had been talked up as being in the neighborhood of Alabama’s 2015 defense. On this night, that claim looked miles away.
So did the idea that Alabama could absorb a game like this and move on without consequence. Kalen DeBoer is now 7-6 in true road games, and Alabama has dropped multiple regular-season games in three straight years for the first time since 2005-2007. Those numbers are piling up fast, and this loss added another ugly layer to the season’s pressure.
Alabama still has a path, but it is now a narrow one. The Tide will have to beat preseason top-10 Texas A&M, survive LSU in what figures to be a true elimination game at night in Death Valley, avoid a stumble at Vanderbilt, and then get past Auburn after the Tigers beat No.
1 Georgia. One loss, and the season is finished.
The question now is whether Alabama can actually string the rest together. Based on what happened at Neyland Stadium, that answer looks far less certain than it did a few hours earlier.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Backed Alabama But His GameDay Warning Stood Out
ESPNs College GameDay spent part of its pregame spotlight laying out the weekend board, with Pat McAfee, Steve Young, Nick Saban, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit each making their official picks and weighing the strengths and concerns around several marquee matchups. The discussion ranged from BYU over Notre Dame, a choice McAfee and Young both backed, to the SEC showcase in Knoxville, where Alabama was the preferred pick for most of the panel.
Saban did stick with the Crimson Tide in that one, but his commentary carried a different kind of edge than a simple pick sheet endorsement. As the crew worked through the game, the former Alabama coachs warning about what could decide the outcome stood out, a reminder that even when he believes in his old team, he is still quick to point out the sort of challenge that can turn a big Saturday into a stressful one. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Sees One Real Threat In Alabama's Trip To Neyland
The build-up to Alabamas trip to Neyland Stadium has plenty of familiar edge, but Nick Saban pointed to one area that could matter most when the No. 6 Crimson Tide meet No. 16 Tennessee in Week 7. On College GameDay, the former Alabama coach broke down the Volunteers defensive strengths and highlighted a unit that can limit scoring, defend the pass and get after the quarterback, all traits that can disrupt an offenses rhythm in a hurry.
For Alabama, that means the usual SEC road-game questions are suddenly about more than noise and history. If Tennessee can force the Tide into longer drives and tougher third-down situations, the game could turn into a far tighter battle over possessions than rankings suggest, with the Volunteer defense shaping the kind of afternoon Alabama gets at one of the conferences most demanding venues. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Knows Whats Threatening Alabama In Knoxville
At halftime in Knoxville, Alabama finds itself locked in a tight, physical game with Tennessee, trailing 12-10 despite a first-half showing that has kept the Crimson Tide within reach on the road. The difference has been small but meaningful, with kicker Cooper Ranvier accounting for four field goals for the Vols while Alabama has had to lean on a defense that has bent without fully breaking.
Kalen DeBoer pointed to the same issues that have shaped the half for both sides: turnovers on offense and the pressure of a game being played with very little room for error. Keelon Russell has had his struggles with the ball, even as he provided Alabamas only touchdown, and the Tide defense has managed to force Tennessee into field goals rather than seven points while still being outgained overall. [Read more 🡒]