Tennessee’s win over Alabama on Saturday night didn’t just light up the fan base. A wave of former Vols jumped into the celebration online, and the posts came fast after the final whistle.
Among the names weighing in were Trey Smith, Josh Dobbs, Joey Kent, Joey Aguilar, Tyler Baron, Byron Young, Cooper Mays, Jerome Carvin, Roman Harrison, Solon Page III, Josh Smith, Malachi Hadden, and Chase McGrath. Some of those former players had already experienced a Tennessee win over Alabama during their time in Knoxville. Others, including Aguilar, Dobbs, and Smith, never got that moment, which only sharpened the enthusiasm around this one.
Smith set the tone with a short tribute to the running game: “DeSean Bishop is a DAWG 🍊”
Aguilar followed with: “Smoke em if you got em! #GBO🍊”
Dobbs kept it simple and emphatic: “SMOKE EM IF YOU GOT EM! 🍊”
Baron added his own version, tagging Malachi Moore in the process: “Smoke’em if you got’em
@malachi_moore13 🍊🍊🍊”
Young posted, “This so lit🙌🏾🤞🏾”
Mays went straight to the point with his praise for the defense: “Defense is the best in the country”
Carvin used a familiar Tennessee refrain in his celebration: “Third Saturday in October
Vols Victorious
What a damn performance! Congrats to the guys! GO DAMN VOLS🍊
Have a great night”
Harrison chimed in with, “What a beautiful day it is😁.”
Page leaned into the old-school Vols spirit: “I said it’s great, to be, a Tennessee Vol !!”
Josh Smith took a shot at the doubters: “To all the idiots.. 😂😂 #LETSGO”
Kent kept his message brief: “Smoke ‘em 🍊”
Hadden posted, “GBO🍊”
And McGrath was right there with the rest of them, celebrating the night in his own way.
In Other News...
Tennessees Win Over Alabama Revealed A Few Vols Fans Need To Notice
Tennessees 26-10 home win over Alabama did more than just change the mood around Knoxville for a night. It also offered a useful snapshot of which Vols are starting to push their way into bigger roles, according to Pro Football Focus, which tracked snap counts and player grades from the game and turned up a few names worth filing away for later in the season.
Freshman wideout TK Keys drew the highest grade despite limited work, while DeSean Bishop handled the heaviest load on offense and finished with two second-half touchdowns. George MacIntyre also graded well in his turn at quarterback, and on the other side of the ball Jeremiah Telander stood out with a strong grade in limited snaps, with Edwin Spillman and Dejuan Lane adding impact plays as Lane came away with both an interception and a fumble recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Celebration Just Added Another Twist To This Alabama Rivalry
Tennessees win over Alabama brought the kind of celebration that Knoxville has been waiting for, but the aftermath came with a costly reminder from the Southeastern Conference. The league fined the university $500,000 after fans stormed the field following the victory, citing a violation of its access to competition area policy designed to keep spectators out of danger zones and protect participants.
The money will be sent to Alabama, though Tennessee could still see the penalty reduced if it can show it tried to prevent the field rush or that there was only minimal interaction on the turf. The SECs policy does allow exceptions, but only when approved procedures are in place and communicated ahead of time, which leaves this latest twist as part celebration, part administrative headache in a rivalry that never seems to run out of fuel. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Matthews Gave Tennessee Fans One Alabama Moment To Debate
Mike Matthews spent the afternoon doing more than just catching passes in Tennessees win over Alabama. He led the Vols with seven receptions for 85 yards, but one of the more memorable moments came on a block that wiped out a 34-yard DeSean Bishop run after a personal foul call. Even with the penalty, the sequence still fed into a touchdown drive, adding another layer to a game that already had plenty of physical edge.
On the Alabama side, defensive back Bray Hubbard acknowledged the hit was illegal but said he was fine and not worried about his availability for the next game. For Tennessee fans, the moment is the kind that lingers because it mixed aggression, consequence and a little controversy in a rivalry game the Vols controlled from start to finish in a 26-10 win. [Read more 🡒]