Tennessee football earned its second win over Alabama in its last three tries on Saturday afternoon, curbing the Crimson Tide 24-17 in front of a sold out a raucous Neyland Stadium.
Before the jubilation, there was plenty of frustration for the Vols. Tennessee didn’t score in the first half for the third straight week. This time, the Vols only punted once as they had a myriad of mistakes. Dylan Sampson fumbled and Nico Iamaleava threw an interception in the red zone. Max Gilbert missed a pair of field goals and Iamaleava missed a couple of open receivers down the field.
But throughout the offensive ineptitude, Tennessee’s defense kept on answering the bell. The Vols allowed just seven points in the first half to keep Tennessee in the game at the half.
The Vols found their offensive footing in the second half. Dylan Sampson’s legs propelled Tennessee’s first touchdown drive. Iamaleava connected with Dont’e Thornton for a 55-yard pass to set up another touchdown and then the quarterback threw a beautiful fade route to Chris Brazzell for a 16-yard touchdown.
While Tennessee’s offense found its legs, its defense kept making big plays. Alabama failed to pick up a first down on its final four drives of the game including the game sealing interception from Will Brooks.
Following the game, long on field celebration and postgame press conferences, RTI’s Ric Butler and Ryan Schumpert broke down the rivalry win on what chunks of grass remained at Shields-Watkins Field. Check out the RTI Reaction show here.
