TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Following his postgame handshake, Nick Saban started on his usual jog back to Alabama’s locker room. Then, the head coach called a bit of an audible.
Bryant-Denny’s rowdiest bunch deserved a special sendoff.
Instead of trotting off the field, Saban made his way to Alabama’s student section, spending a few moments to wave and thank the Crimson Tide faithful for the environment they provided during No. 11 Alabama’s 34-20 victory over No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday.
“I know how much it means to our fans,” Saban said following the game. “This game, the rivalry of this game with Tennessee. I also wanted to thank them because of what a great job they did, the impact they had on the game, the atmosphere in the game. I think they kept the energy level up for our team and kept the momentum going in the second half for us. It was fantastic, and I wish I could thank each one of them personally.”
Saturday wasn’t the easiest game for Crimson Tide fans to stomach. Alabama dug itself into a 13-0 deficit in the first quarter, allowing Tennessee to drive down the field on multiple occasions while failing to find consistency on its own possession.
The Tide looked lost and on the verge of disaster as it headed into halftime down 20-7. However, that didn’t scare away the crimson-clad crowd that stuck with its team through the struggles.
Following the break, Alabama began to give them more to cheer about.
The Crimson Tide cut Tennessee’s lead in half less than a minute into the third quarter when Jalen Milroe found a wide-open Isaiah Bond for a 46-yard touchdown.
From there, Alabama's defense went on to force a three-and-out before its offense cut the deficit in half again with a 42-yard field goal from Will Reichard.
Bryant-Denny nearly rose up from its foundation on Tennessee’s following drive, as the crowd erupted following a fourth-and-1 stop that gave the Tide the ball back at the Volunteers' 47-yard line. Five plays later, Jase McClellan drew a similarly loud ovation when gave Alabama its first lead of the day on a 5-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
“They brought it today,” Milroe said. “I will say this, the whole stadium was rocking all day, and our fans really came out today.”
The loudest cheer of the day followed a scoop-and-score touchdown from Jihaad Campbell in the fourth quarter, as the inside linebacker returned a fumble 24 yards following a strip sack by edge rusher Chris Braswell.
Alabama fans provided some contributions of their own. Crowd noise contributed to Tennessee’s eight penalties on the day as the Volunteers were flagged for a pair of fourth-quarter false starts on offense.
“Yeah, I mess with that,” starting defensive back Malachi Moore said with a smile. “I love how the crowd was rocking today.”
Milroe was just as appreciative.
“This is the reason you come to play college football, to play in games like this, have opportunities, have moments like this that you’ll remember forever,” Milroe said. “It was definitely an enjoyable experience.”
