No. 1 Alabama defeated Tennessee 12-10 on Saturday when Terrence Cody blocked a Daniel Lincoln 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired to save the Crimson Tide.
Despite not scoring a touchdown the entire game and being outplayed for most of the second half, Alabama survived it’s sternest test of the season.
Had it not been for several key penalties, a third quarter sack of quarterback Jonathan Crompton and three missed field goals by Lincoln – two of which were blocked – the Volunteers would have been victorious.
But therein lies the difference between the nation’s No. 1 team and a program that’s rebuilding. A championship caliber team found a way to win on Saturday in Tuscaloosa while the team from Knoxville was left to ponder what might have been.
Alabama was stifled offensively by a bend but don’t break Tennessee defense that yielded only 256 yards and limited the Tide to four Leigh Tiffin field goals. The Vols held the Crimson Tide to 84 yards on 18 plays in the second half while allowing just one Tiffin field goal in the fourth quarter.
Even when the Tide took what looked like an insurmountable 12-3 lead with 6:31 left in the game, the Volunteers fought back to close the gap.
With Alabama driving late in the fourth quarter, Tide running back Mark Ingram was stripped of the ball by the Vols Dennis Rogan and was recovered by Eric Berry at the Alabama 43 with 3:29 remaining.
The Volunteers needed eight plays to score after Crompton connected with Gerald Jones on an 11-yard pass to cut the Crimson Tide’s lead to 12-10 with 1:19 left.
On the ensuing kickoff, Tennessee successfully converted an on-side kick when Denarius Moore caught the loose ball at the Vols’ 41.
Tennessee Defense Stops Alabama's Mark Ingram
Crompton completed a 14-yard pass to Jones and later hooked up with tight end Luke Stocker for a 23-yard gain to put Tennessee in position to win the game at the Alabama 27.
The Vols killed the clock with 4 seconds remaining with Lincoln looking at a 44-yard field goal attempt. The Volunteers’ kicker had missed from 47 yards just before halftime and had a 43-yard field goal blocked by Cody with 10:43 left in the fourth.
Alabama placed three defensive lineman over the Vols’ center, with Cody – all 365 pounds of him – in the middle. As the ball was snapped, just as he had done on his first blocked field goal, Cody crashed through the line, raised his left arm and knocked down Lincoln’s try, giving the Crimson Tide the victory.
It was a crushing defeat for Tennessee, especially after the way the Vols had battled back late in the game. Even more impressive was the fact Tennessee took the No. 1 team in the nation down to the last play of the game and did it on their field.
But as he’s done many times before, Lincoln failed to connect on a critical field goal. The senior kicker’s inability to come through in clutch situations over the past two seasons has caused the Volunteers a lot of heartache, and Saturday’s loss to Alabama was easily the most heartbreaking of all.
It was the second time this season Tennessee lost to the No. 1 team in the land, losing in September to then No. 1 Florida 23-13. The Vols have lost four games this season by a total of 17 points but that’s of little consolation after Saturday’s loss to the Tide.
Despite the loss, Tennessee continues to improve. Last season’s team coached by Phil Fulmer would have lost this game by four touchdowns. The Vols have turned a corner and the coaching staff deserves high praise for taking a fundamentally unsound, passion-less football team and developing them into a competitive unit.
A source of encouragement was the play of Crompton, who for the second straight game showed dramatic improvement. The senior completed 21-of-36 passes for 265 yards and made only one really bad pass the entire game, overthrowing Moore in the first quarter for an interception.
Crompton was poised and led the Vols against one of the nation’s best defenses, gaining 341 yards against the Tide. Alabama entered the game as the nation’s second best defense, giving up only 228.5 yards per game.
Now the Vols must overcome the loss to Alabama and prepare for next week’s game against South Carolina, a team that has already become bowl eligible after their win over Vanderbilt.
Tennessee still has much to play for this season and can take a huge step in becoming bowl eligible with a win over the Gamecocks. The Vols coaching staff will have to get the Alabama loss behind the team immediately and set the focus on defeating South Carolina.
