Jalen Hurd rambled for 92 yards rushing on 18 carries and scored on a 12-yard run that gave Tennessee a 14-13 lead with 5:49 left in the game. Alabama rallied to win 19-14 before 101,821 fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
photo by Tennessee Athletics
After battling No. 8 Alabama evenly for 57 minutes and 36 seconds, Tennessee had a 14-13 lead against the Crimson Tide.
But Alabama (7-1, 4-1) still had Derrick Henry on the field.
And its bone-crushing defense was standing by.
Henry, who scored the game’s first touchdown, capped Alabama’s eight-play, 71-yard touchdown drive with a 14-yard scoring run to the left side with 2:24 remaining and the Crimson Tide escaped with a 19-14 Southeastern Conference victory over an inspired Tennessee on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“We competed, but a loss is a loss,” Vols defensive back Brian Randolph said in remarks posted on the Alabama football web site.
“There is a lot to look forward to. We have five games left and we’re not going to let Alabama beat us twice.”
Henry, who had a clear path to paydirt after three solid blocks by teammates, beat Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr., to the end zone with 2:24 left and then the Crimson Tide defense to keep their national championship hopes alive.
“Place the ball anywhere, our defense is going to try to make a play,” Kirkland said after the game. “There’s no quit in us.”
On a second-and-24 from the Vols’ 21, Alabama edge rusher Ryan Anderson beat freshman offensive lineman Chase Hall and sacked quarterback Josh Dobbs, forcing a fumble. The Tide’s A’Shawn Robinson plucked the ball out of mid-air at Tennessee’s 9 and any chance of a stunning upset went out the window.
The Crimson Tide sacked Dobbs on two successive plays, but the second one was the killer.
Alabama ran the final seconds off the clock and secured its ninth consecutive win over Tennessee (3-4, 1-3) in one of college football’s greatest rivalries.
“We were tired out there today,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “We didn’t have a lot of energy and I think that’s due to playing eight games in a row. You have to respect a team that finds a way to win and makes plays when they have to make plays.”
Dobbs turned in a solid performance, completing 13-of-22 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 19 yards on 16 carries.
What Dobbs couldn’t do is avoid the sack and fumble on the Vols’ final play.
“They had a push up front,” he said. “They were able to make a play. A loss doesn’t feel good, but there are a lot of learning opportunities. We have to be ready because Kentucky doesn’t really care about what happened this weekend.”
Henry gave the Tide a quick lead with 20-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He finished with a game-high 143 rushing yards on 28 carries.
Later in the period, Tennessee, a 15-point underdog, tied the game when Dobbs hit Josh Smith on an 11-yard touchdown pass in the end zone.
Alabama place-kicker Adam Griffith booted a 19-yard field goal as the Tide regained the lead at 10-7 in the third quarter.
Gutty Tennessee then unleashed an amazing drive, covering 75 yards in four plays, with Jalen Hurd bursting around right and on a 12-yard touchdown that gave the Vols a 14-13 advantage with 5:49 remaining in the game.
On first down, Dobbs threw a strike to Josh Smith and the play picked up 27 yards to the Alabama 48.
Alvin Kamara, who originally signed with Alabama, gained 2 yards.
Then Dobbs connected with Josh Malone on a 34-yard gainer to the Alabama 12.
Hurd finished the drive off with his 12-yard touchdown run with 5:49 on the clock. The sophomore tailback led the Vols’ rushers with 92 yards on 18 carries.
“I think (Hurd) needs to start getting more attention on the national stage,” Vols coach Butch Jones said. “I think he’s one of the best backs in the United States of America.”
Hurd’s score gave the Vols their first lead against Alabama since 2006 when they won 16-13. The next year Alabama started the winning streak that now has reached nine straight victories.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game and that it was going to take a 60-minute effort,” Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones said. “At halftime, we had to dig deep, come out on fire and I think we accepted the challenge.”
Following Hurd’s score, the Crimson Tide had more than enough time to pull out the win.
On second-and-11, Tide quarterback Jake Coker hit ArDarius Stewart on a 29-yard pass play. Stewart bobbled the ball, but gained control just as he hit the turf to complete the sensational play.
Coker, who completed 21-of-27 passes for 247 yards with one interception, also connected with Calvin Ridley on a 15-yard gainer on a third-and-6 play that moved the Tide to Tennessee’s 25.
Stewart and Ridley each had 88 receiving yards on five and seven catches, respectively.
After Henry’s go-ahead touchdown, Saban, now 9-0 against Tennessee, decided to try a two-point conversion. Coker threw to Ridley in the end zone, but the Vols’ Justin Martin, a sophomore defensive back, knocked the ball down.
The Vols’ defense recorded five sacks in the game, the most Alabama has allowed since giving up seven against Oklahoma in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.
“I’m very proud of our defense,” Jones said. “Five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Guys stepped up.”
Dobbs was sacked five times as well.
While Griffith was successful on two field goals, Tennessee's Aaron Medley missed three times from long distance – 43, 51 and 51 yards. Two of the misses came in the first half.
“I love Aaron Medley,” Jones said, “and I believe in Aaron Medley. He hurts because he’s a competitor.”
The Vols, who now have four losses by a touchdown or less this season, have now lost 24 straight games against Top 10 teams.
Tennessee plays at Kentucky next week with the game being televised by the SEC Network at 7:30 p.m.
After an off week, Alabama entertains LSU in Tuscaloosa.
SCORING
Tennessee 7 0 0 7 – 14
Alabama 7 0 3 9 – 19
First Quarter
UA – Derrick Henry 20 run (Adam Griffith kick), 7:14
UT – Josh Smith 11 pass from Joshua Dobbs (Aaron Medley kick), 3:00
Third Quarter
UA – FG Griffith 19, 9:00
Fourth Quarter
UA – FG Griffith 28, 7:08
UT – Jalen Hurd 12 run (Medley kick), 5:49
UA – Henry 14 run (pass failed), 2:24
Attendance – 101,821
YARDSTICK
UT UA
First Downs 21 23
Rushes-Yards 39-132 42-117
Passing Yards 171 247
Comp-Att-Int 13-22-0 21-27-1
Plays-Total Yds 61-303 69-364
Fumbles Lost 1-1 0-0
Punts-Avg 4-43.3 4-49.8
Penalties-Yards 6-30 7-64
INDIVIDUALS
RUSHING – Tennessee: Jalen Hurd 18-92, Alvin Kamara 5-21, Joshua Dobbs 16-19; Alabama: Derrick Henry 28-143, Kenyan Drake 3-10, ArDarius Stewart 1-minus 3, Team 3-minus 7.
PASSING – Tennessee; Dobbs 13-22-0 171: Alabama: Jake Coker 21-27-1 247.
RECEIVING – Tennessee: Kamara 4-44, Josh Malone 2-43, Josh Smith 2-38, Johnathon Johnson 1-18, Von Pearson 2-15, Marquez North 1-8, Ethan Wolf 1-5 ; Alabama: Stewart 5-88, Calvin Ridley 7-88, O.J. Howard 7-56, Richard Mullaney 1-13, Drake 1-3.
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)