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Tennessee at Alabama: 11 historic quotes, 6 memorable upsets and a preview of the Third Saturday in October
By Keith Farner
Published:
The Third Saturday in October means to get your cigars ready.
Alabama and Tennessee will meet for the 106th time on Saturday afternoon inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 59-39-7, and has won 9 straight in Tuscaloosa as part of a 32-17-7 mark at home.
Both teams can still win their division and meet in Atlanta at the SEC Championship Game.
Alabama is the only SEC West team that’s undefeated team in league play. The Crimson Tide last year in Knoxville had a 15-game streak in this rivalry snapped with a 52-49 loss. Tennessee starts a run of 3 SEC road games over the next month before they host top-ranked Georgia on Nov. 18.
Key matchup: Alabama’s run defense against Tennessee’s rushing offense
The Crimson Tide are 18th in the country in rushing defense and give up just 104.2 yards rushing per game, 2 spots ahead of Tennessee’s run defense. The Vols lead the SEC and rank 6th nationally averaging 231.3 yards rushing using a trio of running backs.
Here are memorable quotes and upsets that have made this an incredible rivalry over the years:
Memorable quotes
Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant: “People think I’m the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know.”
John Ward, Tennessee play-by-play voice in 1995: “What did he do? All he did was score. Joey Kent! Touchdown on play No. 1.”
Keith Jackson, ABC Sports commentator in 1992: “Nearly 100,000 faithful will huddle today in East Tennessee to shout Roll Tide to the deepest regions of the Smokies, and dance to Rocky Top until there is no energy left.”
Verne Lundquist on CBS Sports in 2009: “Blocked again! Cody again! Alabama wins.”
Eli Gold, Alabama play-by-play voice in 2009: “The kick is blocked, it’s blocked by Alabama! The Crimson Tide wins. The Crimson Tide wins. The Crimson Tide wins.”
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel in 2022: “This is college football at its absolute best. We were the best team on the field tonight. That’s all we can control.”
Alabama coach Nick Saban in 2012: “What year are we talking about here, when we are not going to play Tennessee? 2025? I’m just hoping I can still go to the lake. (I hope) I can still walk around and go on a pontoon boat ride.”
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin in 2022 before playing Auburn: “Let’s both beat the state of Alabama today. Go Vols.”
Tennessee coach Butch Jones in 2014: “I think the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry is one of the best rivalries in the country, and I think it’s the best rivalry in the Southeastern Conference. To be able to maintain that rivalry is something that we are very excited about.”
Tennessee coach Gen. Robert Neyland: “You never know what a football player is made of until he plays against Alabama.”
Phillip Fulmer in 2012 to AL.com: “We were 11-5 against (Alabama) I think or something like that. That’s probably got as much to do with (being disliked in Alabama) as anything,”
Memorable upsets
Oct. 15, 2022: No. 6 Tennessee 52, No. 3 Alabama 49: Chase McGrath made a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Tennessee a 52-49 victory over No. 3 Alabama.
The kick knuckled through the uprights and many of the more than 100,000 fans stormed the field to celebrate as the Volunteers (6-0, 3-0 SEC) ended a 15-game drought to the Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1). Fireworks went off over Neyland Stadium and the song “Dixieland Delight” by the band Alabama — a Crimson Tide favorite — was blasted over the stadium speakers. Goalposts soon came down, and eventually made it to the Tennessee River.
Oct. 20, 2007: Alabama 41, No. 20 Tennessee 17: This was the game that started Alabama’s 15-game win streak that was snapped last season. It was Nick Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa, and John Parker Wilson passed for a career-high 363 yards and 3 touchdowns, and DJ Hall had a school-record 13 catches for 185 yards to lead Bama to its most lopsided win in the series since 1986. The Crimson Tide had lost 10 of the previous 12 meetings to their hated rival, so this win in Tuscaloosa was clearly a changing-of-the-guard type of victory in the series.
Oct. 20, 1990: Alabama 9, No. 3 Tennessee 6: This came in Gene Stallings’ first season, and it was a signature win in part because the Crimson Tide began 0-3, but it was also Alabama’s 5th straight win in the rivalry.
Alabama held a Tennessee offense that had already scored 40 or more points 4 times that year to 2 field goals, at Neyland Stadium. It was the Vols’ 1st loss of the season and their only SEC loss that year, and they did finish in the top 10 in both major polls.
Stacy Harrison blocked a potential game-winning field goal by Greg Harris with 1:35 left, and the Tide were set up at the Vols’ 37-yard line. And that set up Philip Doyle’s 3rd field goal of the day, a 48-yarder as the clock ran out. Similar to the 1982 season for Tennessee, the Tide only finished 7-5 that season, but had another win over the Vols.
Oct. 17, 1987: Alabama 41, No. 8 Tennessee 22: This was a tough burn for Tennessee because it was Bill Curry’s first season, and Alabama finished 7-5 with 3 straight losses.
The Vols hadn’t given up more than 22 points in any of their first 5 games coming into Legion Field, but the Tide turned big-time that day in Birmingham. It was the 2nd straight year that Bama overwhelmed Tennessee, following its 56-point explosion the season before in Knoxville. The 1987 win really got the Tide rolling in the series, as they would rip off 7 straight wins over the Vols from 1986-92. Jeff Dunn, a freshman who made his first start, threw for 229 yards that day, including a 90-yard touchdown that was the longest in school history. It was the Vols’ only SEC loss that season, and they finished 10-2-1.
Oct. 19, 1985: No. 20 Tennessee 16, No. 15 Alabama 14: This was one of Johnny Majors’ crowning moments at Tennessee, and it came in Birmingham when the Vols overcame a season-ending knee injury to star quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Tony Robinson. Backup QB Daryl Dickey and an incredibly defense nicknamed the “Orange Crush,” the Volunteers squeezed out a win and finished 6-0-1 to end the season.
Tennessee finished No. 4 in both polls that season, and landed a Sugar Bowl win over Miami. Alabama went 9-2-1 in Ray Perkins’ 3rd season as coach.
Oct. 16, 1982: Tennessee 35, No. 2 Alabama 28: This broke Alabama’s 11-year control of the rivalry that began in 1971, and it was especially surprising because the Vols came in with a 2-2-1 record. It came in front of 95,342 fans at Neyland Stadium, and sparked a 4-game winning streak over the Tide.
This game, and season, is also remembered as Bear Bryant’s last against Tennessee as it came in his final season as Alabama’s coach. Alabama was 5-0 coming into the game, and then lost 3 of the last 4 games to finish 8-4. Tennessee finished just 6-5-1 that year, but this victory was just what many Vol fans wanted.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
