The Third Saturday of October started off slow and boring in the first half, but a flurry of scoring in the second half turned it into a thriller.
Alabama ultimately lost to Tennessee 24-17 in a sloppy game that was flooded with 26 penalties for 210 yards and five turnovers between the two teams.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Penalties
Alabama had fewer penalties and penalty yardage than the last time they went to Knoxville and lost, but not by much. The recipe for Tennessee to beat Alabama is to let Alabama beat itself. Fifteen penalties for 115 yards is unacceptable and makes it nearly impossible for any team to win. The 15th penalty for the Crimson Tide was the one that put the nail in the coffin. Kendrick Law was flagged for a personal foul with under two minutes left in the game, creating a fourth-and-22 from Alabama’s own 17-yard line that they were unable to convert.
Dominated on the Ground
The Crimson Tide defense did a great job in the first half containing Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson but faded in the second half. The SEC’s leading rusher toted the ball 26 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Not only could Alabama not stop the rush, they had equally a hard time establishing the rush on offense. Tennessee dominated Alabama on the ground by 214-75 rushing yards.
Milroe’s Favorite Target
It’s no secret who Jalen Milroe’s favorite target is on the field. Ryan Williams had an average game compared to earlier performances this season. Williams finished with eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, but the stat that stuck out the most was his 18 targets. Milroe’s accuracy was off on Saturday, and if he would have connected a few more of those targets to Williams, the outcome could have been different.
Struggling Secondary
It’s a young group that will get better with time, but until then, the secondary is holding back the Crimson Tide defense. To make matters worse, the unit seems to suffer injuries every game that forces an even more inexperienced player into the fire. Every game, the opposing team takes deep shots that are wide open, but fortunately, they overthrow the receiver. Tennessee routinely had receivers wide open on the deep ball that were overthrown multiple times, but quarterback Nico Iamaleava did connect on a couple that set up scores.
Standout Performance From Malachi Moore
One player in the struggling Alabama secondary had a standout performance despite the struggles of his teammates. Malachi Moore is an intense player, and when he channels that energy positively on the field, good things happen. Moore forced two turnovers and had six total tackles on the night. On Tennessee’s opening drive, Moore stripped Sampson inside the red zone to prevent a Volunteer scoring drive. Later in the second quarter, Moore intercepted the only pass that was thrown his way on the night.
The Crimson Tide will face Missouri at Bryant-Denny Stadium next week. A definitive time and network has yet to be determined, but it has been narrowed down to 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. CT on either ABC or SEC Network.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
