Neyland Stadium was raucous as all the momentum shifted in Tennessee’s favor.
Despite falling into an early 27-0 hole, the Volunteers, led by quarterback Joshua Dobbs, rattled off 17 unanswered points and had a second half comeback on their mind.
Alabama had other plans.
Leading 27-17, the Crimson Tide put together a 13-play, 76-yard drive – capped off by sophomore running back Derrick Henry’s 28-yard touchdown – that put an end to the comeback hopes and sealed a 34-20 victory.
“I feel like as a defense, we let the offense down,” redshirt junior linebacker Curt Maggitt said. “We’ve got to take pride in that, and we have to take responsibility for that.”
Tennessee’s (3-5, 0-4 SEC) comeback bid began shortly after Alabama quarterback Blake Sims broke free for a 28-yard touchdown run to extend the Crimson Tide’s (7-1, 4-1) lead to 27.
On the ensuing drive, Dobbs, who came in for starter Nathan Peterman on the Vols’ third offensive drive midway through the first quarter, drove UT 84 yards down the field and found freshman wide receiver Josh Malone for a 9-yard touchdown.
After freshman kicker Aaron Medley made a 27-yard field goal on their following drive, the Vols were once again able to stop Alabama’s offense and get the ball back to their offense.
And just like he had done on the two drives prior, Dobbs led the offense down the field, eventually finding junior wide receiver Von Pearson for a 9-yard touchdown to make it a two possession game.
In total, the sophomore quarterback went 19-for-32 passing with 192 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also recorded 75 rushing yards – the most by a UT quarterback since Tee Martin rushed for 81 against Syracuse in 1998 – on 19 carries.
“He (Dobbs) adds another element in terms of the run game,” Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said. “Whenever you have a running quarterback, that poses another threat to the defense.
“I thought he was in command and I thought Josh showed some very good poise.”
Dobbs’ effort, however, wasn’t enough to erase Alabama’s early production, which was highlighted by the play of All-American wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The junior wideout recorded five catches for 185 yards in the first quarter and was on the receiving end of the Crimson Tide’s first two touchdowns – one for 80 yards on their first play from scrimmage and a 41-yard score on their second drive.
“He’s a great receiver,” sophomore cornerback Cameron Sutton said. “He does it all for them. The offense works around him. They find matchups around the field, whether he’s inside or outside and he does a lot of damage after the catch as well. It makes him a great receiver when he gets the ball in his hands, because he can do exceptional things after the catch.”
The contest also marked the return of Lane Kiffin, who was the head coach at Tennessee for the 2009 season.
The return of the former Southern California head coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator, however, proved to be a non-issue.
“He’s really a good coach and I think why all the people in Tennessee are pissed off at him is because they knew he’s a good coach and they were upset when he left,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I get that, I understand that, but I know that there are a lot of really good fans here.
“I can understand why they would get upset. I understood why they burnt me at the stake in Baton Rouge the first time I went back there after going to the Miami Dolphins and then coming back to Alabama. I get it. We all have fans that are that way, but I think we all have a lot of fans that really appreciate when people do a quality job.”
Tennessee will look to crack the SEC win column when they travel to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia on Saturday.
“We just have to keep chipping away,” Jones said. “We’re getting closer and closer. We’re nowhere where we need to be, but I’m proud of our players.”
