The Alabama Crimson Tide probably saw the Tennessee Volunteers coming up on the schedule at home and thought it would be a walkthrough. Alabama learned very quickly that things weren’t going to be easy and it turned into a 60-minute fight especially with Peyton Manning on the Tennessee sideline. Alabama got a late turnover and survived with a 19-14 win to improve to 7-1 for the season. Tennessee fell to 3-4 with the loss but has to take home a moral victory being so close. [photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty]
Alabama got on the board first midway through the opening quarter on a 20-yard run by Derrick Henry, who finished the game with 143 rushing yards. The Volunteers responded four minutes later however when Joshua Dobbs found Josh Smith for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 and that is where it would stay going into the second half.
Two Adam Griffith field goals in the second half for Alabama were the only points scored by either side until there was just 5:49 to play and Jalen Hurd scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run to give Tennessee a 14-13 lead. Henry would respond for Alabama however with 2:24 left with his second touchdown run of the game from 14 yards out and it was a 19-14 lead before Tennessee had one final chance to win the game but the Tide forced Dobbs to fumble to escape with the win.
Dobbs finished 13-for-22 passing for 171 yards and a touchdown while Hurd has 92 rushing yards on 18 carries for Tennessee. Jake Coker went 21-for-27 for 247 yards for Alabama. Alabama will host LSU on November 5 in a huge battle of top-ten teams after having next week off while Tennessee will hit the road to face Kentucky on Halloween night.
