On Saturday, Chase McGrath secured a win for No. 3 Alabama over No. 6 Tennessee with a 40-yard field goal as time expired, resulting in a score of 52-49.
The Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1) broke a 15-game dry spell while the Volunteers (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) joined in the celebration on the field, with a portion of the over 100,000 fans rushing onto the field as soon as the kick unpredictably curved through the goalposts.
The Alabama Crimson Tide band blared “Delight Dixieland” over the stadium speakers, and as the song played, the stadium glowed orange. Fireworks went off over Neyland Stadium.
And it didn’t take much time for the goal posts to collapse.
Heupel, the coach of the Vols, stated, “This is the absolute best college football team.” He added, “We can control everything. Tonight, we were the best team on the field.”
“We didn’t respond to the call today,” Alabama coach Nick Saban mentioned. “We made too many actions to assist (Tennessee).”
The platform for the champion was established through a 27-yard connection with Bru McCoy and an 18-yard throw to Ramel Keyton. The victory was orchestrated by Hendon Hooker, who advanced the Vols 45 yards in just 13 seconds.
“It wasn’t my most accurate hit,” said McGrath, who missed a PAT earlier. “I didn’t have the optimal contact on the ball.”
Jalin Hyatt, catching six passes for 207 yards, set a Tennessee record with five touchdowns and earned a postgame cigar, continuing the long-held tradition of the great rivalry between Peyton Manning and the Vols on the third Saturday in October.
The Tide successfully executed 35 throws for 455 yards and two touchdowns, with Bryce Young, a last-minute choice due to a sprained right shoulder two weeks prior.
“It was fantastic to be out there with my teammates,” the recipient of the Heisman Trophy expressed. “Shoulder is in good condition.”
Hyatt’s fifth touchdown reception evened the score at 49 with 3:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“(This match) simply occurred,” Hyatt expressed. “It’s not just me. It was solely the stares we received.”
In the final minute, Reichard’s attempts to lead Alabama into Tennessee’s territory stalled at the 33-yard line with three straight incomplete passes, but Young drove the Tide into the 50-yard goal field with a wide right way.
With only 15 seconds remaining, it appeared that overtime was probable, but Hooker surpassed expectations and outperformed the Heisman victor.
Hooker completed 21 out of 30 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns.
“He performed at an astonishing level,” stated Heupel. “He is the essential element to our ignition.”
Tennessee had not beaten a Top 10 teams since 2006 against Georgia. That was also the last year the Vols beat Alabama.
Tennessee has been stuck in mediocrity, while Alabama’s football team has become the greatest dynasty in college football with six national titles. Later on, Saban became the coach of Alabama.
In his second year in Knoxville, Heupel has lifted the Vols from the difficult situation.
The Heisman leaderboards should now be near the top for Virginia Tech’s quarterback transfer, who looks like a legitimate contender for the national title, just like Tennessee.
“We tackle each game with the same mindset,” Hooker stated. “Give our all for our comrades.”
In 1907, Sewanee scored 54 points against the Tide, making it the highest number of points ever achieved against an Alabama team. The Tide’s winning streak came to an end after successfully preventing Texas A&M from scoring any touchdowns on the final play of the game to avoid an unexpected defeat. The Vols managed to score against Alabama.
According to ESPN, the Tide also had 17 penalties for 130 yards, which is the highest number during the Saban era.
During halftime, Tennessee was ahead 28-20 and quickly gained a 21-7 advantage in the first quarter using their fast-paced offense. Within a span of two minutes, all four scoring drives occurred.
During the initial period, Young completed passes for a total of 205 yards and a touchdown, whereas Hooker managed to accumulate 166 yards and achieved two scores. Throughout this timeframe, Young managed to avoid being sacked; however, he did experience being knocked down on five separate occasions.
Alabama mishandled Tennessee’s sole punt. The Volunteers regained possession and scored four plays afterwards.
THE CONCLUSION
In the game against A&M last week, Reichard failed to make three field goals, which will be regretted by the Tide as it was the final opportunity for Alabama to gain a few more yards.
Tennessee also had the opportunity to burn a timeout when the ball ended up handy for the Vols in their comeback. On the second down, Jahmyr Gibbs dropped a short pass from the Tide, forcing Tennessee to run on the third down.
Tennessee has secured four victories out of the six games they have played against ranked teams, although none of them were against Florida, LSU, or Pitt, who they will be facing this upcoming weekend.
UNAVAILABLE
Two important Tennessee athletes were unavailable. WR Cedric Tillman, who suffered a severe ankle sprain against Akron, did not participate in the game even though he underwent surgery three weeks ago to expedite the healing process. This marked his third absence from a game. S Jaylen McCollough, a player who has been on the team for four years, was taken into custody for aggravated assault last weekend. Prior to this incident, he had participated in all 41 games since his first year, starting in 32 of them.
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS
Hooker has successfully thrown a touchdown pass in 18 consecutive games, matching Heath Shuler’s school record from 1992 to 1994. He experienced his first interception after completing 260 passes, during the third quarter.
Traditional Approach
The Princeton Fullback Fant had his first carry in 2018 and scored. Breaking from the norm, the Vols lined up in the I-formation as Hooker went under center rather than the shotgun. Tennessee had the ball against Alabama.
COMING UP NEXT
Alabama: Welcomes Mississippi State next Saturday.
Tennessee: Welcomes Tennessee-Martin next Saturday.
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