Tennessee broke through in 2022 in an all-time classic. They snuck by Alabama in 2024. In 2026, they dominated the Crimson Tide.
A 26-10 victory gives Alabama their second consecutive loss, and puts Tennessee officially in the thick of the College Football Playoff battle.
Tennessee was in position to take control early on, following an opening field goal. A dominant defensive line started an incredible afternoon, forcing a fumble from Keelon Russell. What appeared to be a touchdown turned into another
field goal, however. A 6-0 lead turned into a 9-0 lead after another offensive drive stalled.
Though the scoreboard read in the right direction, you couldn’t help but feel like the Volunteers would pay for not pouring on more early. That feeling intensified after a George MacIntrye interception and Alabama touchdown. Both teams would trade field goals before the half, with the score reading 12-10, Vols.
A key fourth down stop from Tennessee — one of a few on the day — set the tone for the second half.
Tennessee finally broke the seal on the goal line with DeSean Bishop to push the lead out to 19-10.
Tennessee’s dominant defense continued to clamp down on Alabama, and a 15-play, nine-plus minute drive would put this one on ice. The Volunteers won this one, 26-10. It was the first time Tennessee had beaten Alabama by 16 or more since 1998.
“Great win. Defense – suffocating, elite performance,” Josh Heupel said after the game. “Really proud of those guys. They handled adversity, sudden change extremely well. Great performance by them. As a team, found a way to win against a good football team. Really proud of our guys. Enjoy this one tonight and start getting better tomorrow.”
Bishop handled 32 carries for 159 yards, pushing through for two touchdowns. MacIntyre was solid in the short passing game, completing 21-31 attempts for 197 yards. Mike Matthews was huge with seven catches for 85 yards.
The story though was the defense, of course. Tennessee held Russell to 147 yards passing and two interceptions. As a team, Alabama ran for just 54 yards. Jim Knowles’ defense got home for five sacks — two from Tyree Weathersby, two from Jeremiah Telander and another from Arion Carter.
Cooper Ranvier was clutch with four early field goals.
Tennessee, now 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC, moves forward to face South Carolina on the road next week.
