Game rewind: Alabama puts up 27 unanswered points to defeat Tennessee
TUSCALOOSA, AL. —
The Third Saturday in October proves to be a marquee matchup for the second year in a row. In one of Alabama's biggest games all season long, the Crimson Tide prevail over the Tennessee Volunteers for a 34 to 20 victory at home.
FIRST QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—TOUCHDOWN Tennessee: Squirrel White 39-yard reception from Joe Milton III (8 plays, 75 yards, 2:21)
Tennessee 7, Alabama 0 |12:39
—FIELD GOAL Tennessee: Charles Campbell 24-yard field goal (15 plays, 79 yards, 5:30)
Tennessee 10, Alabama 0 | 2:00
—FIELD GOAL Tennessee: Charles Campbell 26-yard field goal (5 plays, 15 yards, 1:05)
Tennessee 13, Alabama 0 | 0:11
Key play:
Joe Milton connects with Squirrel White for a 39-yard touchdown on the Volunteers opening drive, and the first score of the game. With plenty of time in the pocket, Milton was able to deliver a long strike to White in stride for the endzone.
Player of the quarter:
Joe Milton III finishes the quarter going 11 for 16 through the air for 126 yards and a touchdown pass as well. Milton also picked up 22 yards on the ground off of 4 carries. The Vols quarterback had 9 straight completions before a drop by receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. ended the streak.
SECOND QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Jermaine Burton 10-yard reception from Jalen Milroe (9 plays, 59 yards, 4:05)
Tennessee 13, Alabama 7 | 7:05
—TOUCHDOWN Tennessee: McCallan Castles 6-yard reception from Joe Milton (10 plays, 80 yards, 2:58)
Tennessee 20, Alabama 7 | 0:12
Key play:
Jalen Milroe connects with Jermaine Burton for a 10-yard touchdown grab early in the quarter. Burton’s reception was Alabama’s first touchdown of the game and gave the Crimson Tide offense some much needed help.
Player of the quarter:
Jermaine Burton comes down with two big receptions for Alabama’s offense. The first being a 22-yard grab that brought the Crimson Tide down to just outside of the redzone. A few plays later, Burton snags a 10-yard reception in the end zone for Alabama’s first touchdown of the game.
THIRD QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Isaiah Bond 46-yard reception from Jalen Milroe (2 plays, 75 yards, 0:41)
Tennessee 20, Alabama 14 | 14:19
—FIELD GOAL Alabama: Will Reichard 42-yard field goal (6 plays, 46 yards, 3:58)
Tennessee 20, Alabama 17 | 8:33
—TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Jase McClellan 5-yard rush (5 plays, 47 yards, 2:42)
Alabama 24, Tennessee 20 | 3:42
Key play:
Jalen Milroe finds Isaiah Bond for a 46-yard touchdown reception on the second play of the third quarter. Bond’s touchdown began Alabama’s third quarter surge to take the lead for the first time in the game.
Player of the quarter:
Jalen Milroe finishes the third quarter going 4 for 5 through the air with 103 yards, including a long 46-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond to begin the quarter. Despite a below average showing in the first half, Milroe began to ramp it up during the second half.
FOURTH QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—FIELD GOAL Alabama: Will Reichard 50-yard field goal (15 plays, 56 yards, 7:51)
Alabama 27, Tennessee 20 | 8:17
—TOUCHDOWN Alabama: Jihaad Campbell 24-yard fumble recovery
Alabama 34, Tennessee 20 | 7:26
Key play:
Chris Braswell makes a huge hit on Joe Milton III and forces a fumble that Jihaad Campbell returns to the endzone for 24 yards. Campbell's touchdown extended Alabama's lead to a two score game midway through the quarter.
Player of the quarter:
Jihaad Campbell comes up with two back-to-back tackles before returning a fumble 24 yards to the endzone to make it a 14-point game.
GAME BALLS
Jalen Milroe: Despite an average performance in the first half, Milroe turned things around for himself in the second half and finished his game going 14 for 21 through the air with 220 yards and 2 touchdown passes. Going into the half down by 13, the junior quarterback shined and brought the Crimson Tide back in the final two quarters.
Jermaine Burton: Just like he has shone all year, Burton can make some incredible catches for big yardage. Burton finished his afternoon with 4 receptions for 62 yards, including a touchdown grab in the second quarter.
Jase McClellan: Seeking a big game on the ground, McClellan finally got his wish as he broke triple digits for 115 yards rushing off of 27 carries. McClellan also tacked on a touchdown rush in the third quarter.
Caleb Downs: Continuing to be an excellent third line of defense for Alabama's defense, Downs finished his afternoon with 8 tackles. Downs was the primary prevention of several potential big plays by the Volunteer offense.
Deontae Lawson: The big linebacker in the middle had another great game as he led the defense with 10 tackles, along with a pass breakup as well.