TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Tennessee played one of its best halves of the season to build a two-touchdown lead over Alabama at the intermission. But the Crimson Tide asserted their will in the second half and completely dominated the final 30 minutes on their way to a 34-20 victory.
Here’s four quick takeaways as Tennessee falls for the 10th straight time in Tuscaloosa.
A Very Strong First Quarter
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel could have dreamt of a better first quarter. The Vols had two drives inside the 10-yard line end in field goals. But besides that, things went perfect for Tennessee in the first quarter.
It started with a brilliant opening drive touchdown which saw Joe Milton III scramble and complete an intermediate pass for third down conversions. Then Heupel got Squirrel White matched up on an outside linebacker and the sophomore receiver made a spectacular diving catch for a 38-yard touchdown.
The Vols second drive scoring drive saw Tennessee convert a third-and-eight and a third-and-four in addition overcoming a second-and-20 with two runs. By the time the drive was over Milton had more passing yards than he did last week against Texas A&M.
Tennessee’s defense was even better. Alabama picked up one first down in the whole first quarter and James Pearce Jr. stripped Jalen Milroe on third down which gave the Vols the ball right outside the Alabama red zone.
The downside was the inability to turn either red zone trip into a touchdown. But still, it was a fantastic first quarter for Tennessee.
Running Joe Milton III
Tennessee fans had waited all season for the Vols’ offense to start using Milton’s legs more consistently. Or for Milton to be more aggressive scrambling when he had opportunities.
They got back against Alabama. There was a clear emphasis from Tennessee’s coaches to use Milton’s legs on designed runs and it happened frequently. It carried over as Milton scrambled the ball effectively including on a number of third down conversions.
Milton totaled 43 rushing yards on eight first half rush attempts at halftime before finishing the game with 59 rushing yards on 15 carries. The numbers look better than that when you exclude three second half sacks. Including a loss of 17 yards on one sack.
With Tennessee’s running game failing to recreate the efficiency it had last week against Texas A&M, Milton’s success was necessary in the Vols building a lead.
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A Disastrous Start To The Second Half
As good as the start of the first half was for Tennessee. The start of the second half was just as bad. After totaling 133 yards in the entirety of the first half, Alabama went 75 yards on two plays to pull back within six points. A Jase McClellan run got the drive started before Milroe found Isaiah Bond all alone behind the defense for a 49-yard touchdown.
The Vols ensuing drive started poorly. Someone ruled for a fair catch (it is unclear who) before Cam Seldon returned the kick. It meant Tennessee had to start its drive at its own four-yard line. The Vols ran three times and had to punt the ball back.
Alabama quickly got in field goal range before Tennessee’s defense made them settle for a field goal.
The field goal whole combined with a first down run seemed like Tennessee was finding its footing. But Heupel rolled the dice and went for in on fourth-and-short again on Tennessee’s own side of the field. The inside run to Dylan Sampson was blown up and Alabama took over on the edge of scoring range.
Five plays later, Jase McClellan strolled into the end zone untouched and Alabama had erased a 13-point deficit in less than 12 minutes.
It was one-sided as Tennessee absolutely crumbled.
Alabama Controls Line Of Scrimmage In Second Half
Tennessee had a slight edge on the line of scrimmage in the first half. They didn’t dominate with the run game but pass protected well. On the other side, the Vols’ pass rush didn’t dominate but they did have success while also bottling up Alabama’s rushing attack.
In the second half, Alabama clearly controlled both lines of scrimmage. After rushing for 16 yards in the first half, Alabama ran for 131 yards in the second half. The Vols’ pass rush also struggled to get home and Alabama had improved third down success because of it, converting three-of-five attempts before failing to run for two third-and-longs while running the clock out late in the half.
On the other side, Alabama’s defensive line began to impose its will. The Crimson Tide bottled up Tennessee’s rushing attack and found more consistent pressure on Milton.
Alabama’s pass rush put the game away when Chris Braswell went right by John Campbell Jr, stripping Milton before Jihaad Campbell picked up the fumble and bumbled 24 yards into the end zone for a touchdown that put Tennessee away.
3 Responses
I’ve said it before – the offensive coordinator needs to be fired. Running into the teeth of the Bama defense time after time is sheer stupidity. Milton cannot run the offense, he stares down his receiver, holds the ball too long, and waits till the receiver is coming out of his break before he throws the ball, allowing the defense time to close the gap. He over shot two WR’s for TD’s in the game because he has NO TOUCH on the ball. He belongs in the circus throwing 100 yard footballs, not on a football field. Mark my words -Tennessee will lose to Kentucky, Georgia, and Missouri. The big collapse is about to start. If I’m wrong I’ll be happy to come back and admit it.
One more thing – if they post this because it factual but critical – one coaching staff made adjustments and the other did not. Bama made changes at halftime, Tennessee had no response for the changes they made. really a weak second half by the entire Volunteers team and coaching staff.
Predictable ….the third Saturday in October is very predictable for VOL fans…a loss to Alabama. You can count of that loss before the season begins. Also you can count on losing to Florida and Georgia. So before the season starts …you can predict a 9-3 record as the best possible outcome. Why? DEPTH. Alabama and Georgia have it — UT does not. To build depth you have to create a culture where you can successfully recruit ( or transfer) players who could start on other teams to be your backups. Alabama has done this for years. K. Smart learned it from Saban while he was at Alabama. Bear Bryant was a master of depth building–especially in the years of no scholarship restrictions. Last year UT offset the depth issue with a “scoring machine”. We had the best QB-WR combination in the nation. This year we have an average QB who will not develop any further since he is a 6 year senior. If you remember the UT-ALA game last year we jumped out to a big lead and it did not take Bama long to catch up and take the lead. But last year we had the potential to outscore Bama and as a result we came back an won the game. This year we do not have that potential. Who knows—the next great QB-WR combination could be Nico-White? I
believe that Heupel can build the culture we need to build depth. We need to support him and give him time. The SEC championship game will probably be between Bama and Georgia–the two teams with the best depth. I am sure that UT played a well as it could but ran out of gas in the second half–lack of depth. The best they can finish this year is 9-3..hopefully the worse 7-5. If they can beat KY then probably 8-4. Also–when will Heupel decide to start Nico or at least play Nico to get him ready for next year? Probably if Milton gets injured….predictable!!