After 60 minutes of tense play, cigar smoke filled the air above Neyland Stadium as the Tennessee Vols secured a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide with a score of 24-17. Although the Vols had their third consecutive scoreless first half, they rallied at halftime and came out looking much stronger. This was an important game for both sides for the historic rivalry and the possibility of securing a spot in the playoffs. It was the 107th meeting of these two teams, with the majority favoring Alabama. However, it was their night for Vol Nation, and they secured back-to-back wins against rivals this season.
Key Moments
In the first quarter, Alabama moved down the field to Tennessee 3. It was a pass-heavy drive for the Tide, as their running game was not moving efficiently. On a one-on-one ball thrown from Milroe towards Williams, sophomore cornerback Jermod McCoy made a touchdown-saving interception and ran the ball out of the end zone for 54 yards to the Alabama 46.
However, it wasn’t as exciting for Vol Nation in the second quarter. With 11:36 left in the second quarter, freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava was sacked and shaken up on the play. As Nico left the field to get checked out by trainers, backup quarterback Gaston Moore (senior) came in on 3 & 9 from the UT 46. On his first play, Moore scrambles out to the right and throws a deep ball into double coverage, resulting in an interception that gets run back to the UT 36.
Roughly halfway through the third quarter, we finally saw Tennessee put up points on the board. A run-heavy drive led by junior running back Dylan Sampson moved the ball 91 yards. Sampson finished the drive out with a 2-yard touchdown run to tie up the game 7-7.
Finally, late in the fourth quarter, Alabama had a chance to drive down the field to score and tie up the game. On their first play of the drive, walk-on senior safety Will Brooks catches an interception with only 1:24 left on the clock to secure the win for the Vols.
Performances
When I watched this game live, I’ll admit I was not happy with the offense. I was watching with a lot of emotion that this game brings, and it’s hard to see everything on every play. After going back and watching the game play-by-play multiple times, I have to say I feel a lot better and more confident in this team’s future.
The offensive line, which is where the team still struggles the most, was surprisingly much better than I had anticipated. The Vols had 11 total penalties, but the offensive line only received one call all night: holding on right Tackle John Campbell Jr. There were, from my point-of-view, 9 missed assignments by the offensive line. However, they looked much better at keeping the pocket open for Nico. I am happy to see this steady improvement and look forward to watching as they get better through the season.
Running the ball, the Vols had a very slow start. Star running back Dylan Sampson only had 35 yards in the first half and fumbled on the Vols’ first offensive drive. Sampson turned it around for the run game by rushing for 104 yards and scored two touchdowns in the second half. Right now, Sampson is the leader on offense. He is the 10th-best rusher in the nation and leads the SEC with 838 yards and 17 touchdowns. Sampson is a very reliable resource and the primary scorer for the Vols in their past three games. His second-half performance greatly impacted the Vols’ ability to move the ball and win this game.
The passing game was rough. Nico had his worst completion percentage of the year at 51.9%, but I also have to blame the receivers for this. There were six total dropped passes by the receivers that, if caught, would have resulted in big yardage plays or touchdowns. If those passes were caught, Nico would have thrown for 74%, and the Vols would have put up a few more touchdowns. Nico also had a much better second half than the first. In the first, he did have several overthrows on the deep ball as well as an interception. Nico’s interception came on the following offensive drive after backup quarterback Gaston Moore threw an interception. Nico’s interception was the result of bad decision-making. After a drive where the Vols moved the ball well, it was 1 & 10 on the Alabama 19. Nico is standing in the pocket, with plenty of time, but decides to scramble out left. He is almost to the sideline around the line of scrimmage when he starts getting pressure from two defensive players. Instead of stepping out, he tries to throw the ball and is hit as he throws. The ball goes short and is intercepted. Even if he did get the ball out in time, he would have been throwing into tight coverage. Like I said though, Nico also did a much better job in the second half. He connected on a deep ball to Dont’e Thorton Jr. for 55 yards that set up a touchdown, and threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Chris Brazzell. Nico finished the game 194 yards, his most since the Oklahoma game.
This defense is like the mitochondria. They are the powerhouse of this team. Without this defense, Tennessee is looking at a very rough season. With them, though, the Vols are still in the playoff picture. There was a concern about what would happen this game because the defensive leader, Keenan Pili, is now out for the season with an ACL injury he sustained during the Florida game. The Vols showed they are still just as dominant. Alabama came into this game averaging 179 rushing yards per game, but the Vols held them to only 75, their worst performance of the season. The Vol defense was also able to sack Milroe three times, got nine tackles for loss, and two interceptions. One area that impressed me the most on the defense was the coverage on Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams. Williams is a freshman who is the Tide’s leading receiver. Williams is known for incredible play-making ability and speed. Tennessee cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Ricky Gibson were the primary defenders on Williams. Williams was targeted 19 times but only made 8 receptions for 73 yards. Another impressive player on the defense was Will Brooks. Brooks finished the game with 8 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 interception. As mentioned earlier, Brooks made the interception at the end of the game to secure a win for the Vols, but he also had a touchdown-saving tackle on Alabama’s second offensive drive. On 3 & 1 from the Alabama 27, Alabama runs a QB sneak off the edge. Brooks, with no one behind him, was able to get a shoestring tackle on Melrose. Alabama would later punt in this drive.
Future Outlook
Can this team make the playoffs? Absolutely. Can they make the SEC championship game? Possibly. Will this team be competitive in the post-season? Maybe. What I am getting at is there is still hope. I believe that Tennessee will still make the playoffs. Their schedule only has one more serious contender, Georgia. Obviously, the other teams should be taken seriously. We saw what can happen in Arkansas. Tennessee is not playing their best ball offensively. For a couple weeks, head coach Josh Heupel has said they are getting close to bringing it all together. At first, I was hesitant to believe what he was saying. After rewatching this game, I can see what he refers to when getting close. The offensive line has made strides since the Arkansas game. Nico is still overthrowing, but he also had a lot of throws in the right spot.
With this upcoming week being a bye for the Vols, they will have extra practice time to prepare. I am excited to see the improvements they can make before their next matchup. If the Vols can touch up their pass game and become more consistent, they will be a serious contender in the playoffs. It will be easier to make the playoff than the SEC championship. The reason is just the level of play in the SEC and that we already have one loss against Arkansas, which is an unranked SEC team. They may make it if other leading SEC schools (Texas A&M, LSU, and Georgia) have slip-ups in their play. A win for the Vols over Georgia later in the season would be monumental in enhancing our probability of making the SEC championship and the playoff. But, as coach Heupel mentions at all his press conferences, we have to worry about the present and only the next game on the schedule.
