Tennessee didn’t just beat Alabama on Saturday in Knoxville - it strung together a start-to-finish defensive squeeze that kept the Crimson Tide stuck in the teens and produced a 26-10 win for the Vols.
The victory marked Tennessee’s third straight home win against Alabama, and it began with the Vols controlling the tone on both sides of the ball. Geroge MacIntyre was again the starting quarterback for the second straight game, but the early damage came from Cooper Ranvier’s right leg. Tennessee opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal, then added two more kicks before the first quarter was over.
Alabama’s first trip with the ball quickly turned sour. Jeremiah Telander brought down quarterback Keelon Russell for a sack that forced a fumble, and while it first looked as if Tyree Weathersby had returned it for a touchdown, the play was ruled down at the 19-yard line.
Tennessee still cashed in moments later, with Ranvier drilling a 33-yard field goal to make it 6-0. After another stalled Alabama possession that included a personal foul, an incompletion, a sack and a negative-yard pass, the Crimson Tide punted again.
Ranvier kept the momentum rolling by knocking through a 41-yard field goal after MacIntyre was sacked. That finished the first quarter with Tennessee in front 9-0.
The second quarter brought more punts, more frustration and one big swing for Alabama. The Crimson Tide opened the period with the ball, but an incompletion on third down sent it right back.
The next two three-play possessions ended the same way. Then, with Tennessee near its own 14-yard line, MacIntyre was intercepted by defensive back Ivan Taylor, and sophomore offensive lineman David Sanders Jr. was injured on the play.
Alabama finally made that turnover matter. Despite a five-yard false start penalty, Russell broke loose for a 19-yard rush up the middle, cutting the margin to 9-7.
Tennessee answered with another field goal, this one from 34 yards by Ranvier. Alabama kept it tight with Conor Talty’s 42-yard kick, and the teams went to halftime with Tennessee ahead 12-10.
The Vols were the ones who found another gear after the break. Tennessee owned the only score of the third quarter, finishing a nine-play drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown by DeSean Bishop. The extra point pushed the lead to 19-10 heading into the fourth.
From there, the Vols’ defense slammed the door. Telander sacked Russell again on Alabama’s first possession of the final quarter, and the Tide managed only a short series before punting it away on fourth-and-three.
Tennessee then took control with a 15-play march that produced six first downs and ended with Bishop scoring again from five yards out. With the extra point good, Tennessee led 26-10 and had more than three minutes left to play.
Alabama tried to make one last push after the kickoff. Dijon Lee Jr. fielded the ball at the Crimson Tide’s 24-yard line, but a holding penalty on Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. pushed Alabama back to its 14.
Russell completed a few passes, but three incompletions and another sack limited the drive to the 26-yard line. His final shot toward the end zone was picked off by Kayin Lee for a touchback with 48 seconds remaining.
Tennessee ran two more plays before kneeling at its own 29-yard line to finish it off. Then came the scene the Vols were waiting for: cigars lit, fans on the field, and a home win over Alabama sealed at 26-10.
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 🡒]