SEC College Football Tennessee Volunteers at Alabama Crimson Tide Start Time

Alabama is finding out that it has what it takes to do just that.

“I never thought it was an issue until this year, but probably the three best games that we’ve played this year have all been on the road”, said Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose team lost to Mississippi and had shaky moments in other games at home. We made a few when we needed to today.

Should Alabama worry? At 7-1, they don’t have to… except that the LSU game in two weeks is also in Tuscaloosa. The balance on Saturday was a bit unusual, though: Henry touched the ball only nine times in the first half, and the teams went into halftime tied at seven.

Tenpenny started his career at Alabama after being one of the nation’s top-ranked running backs out of North Little Rock High School. All four of those Southeastern Conference opponents have been ranked this season and the last two were coming off byes when they faced the Crimson Tide.

Captains Senior linebacker Reggie Ragland, junior defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and junior tight end O.J.

This team was really banged up today with serious injuries sidelining critical players on both sides of the ball.

Alabama drove 73 yards on 12 plays on its opening drive of the second half, but the Vols’ defense made a goal-line stand with Cameron Sutton batting way a potential two-yard touchdown pass on a quick slant.

Take the Alabama defense that turned any given Bulldogs quarterback into marmalade.

Jake Coker had another rough outing as he was sacked five times. The play of the game came from Stewart, who has been somewhat maligned for seemingly uneven play to date. The 3-3 Vols pushed Alabama to the brink, scoring late to take the lead only to have the Tide answer with an eight-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead touchdown run from Derrick Henry. Tennessee was coming off of a win over the Georgia Bulldogs, their first in years; Alabama had been playing big game after big game all month long facing Georgia, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.

The Tide hit on a couple of big passing plays to ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley on their 75-yard final drive, though, and the Alabama defense sealed the game with a strip-sack of Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs with less than 90 seconds left. But the Vols missed a field goal from 51 yards away as time expired. Tennessee was unable to hold onto the football on its ensuing drive, and Alabama beat the Volunteers 19-14.

Coker finished 21-of-27 for 246 yards in another efficient performance that is increasingly becoming the norm for him as he settles into the starting role in Tuscaloosa. But, as Coker said, “It was more mental than physical”. Going for a touchdown on the one-yard line was a must, and it paid off. Jeremy Johnson got the call and he pushed across the goal line for a game-tying score.

Reggie Ragland says hi to his friend and former teammate Alvin Kamara after the game. Anderson jarred the ball loose and A’Shawn Robinson recovered it one-handed on the second one and rambled a few yards toward the end zone before getting toppled. In the past four games they have stamped themselves as one of the best units in the country with four interceptions returned for touchdowns.