The Third Saturday in October is one of the most intense and iconic rivalries in college football.
After the competitiveness of the series laid dormant for a number seasons, its prominence roared back to national relevance with Tennessee besting Alabama in two consecutive home games and two out of the last three overall matchups.
Yet, Bryant-Denny Stadium remains a house of horrors for the Vols. Tennessee has not won a game on Alabama’s turf since head coach Philip Fulmer was running the show.
College Football Hall of Fame head coach Nick Saban had a lot to do with that, but as Tennessee prepares for its first rivalry game in Tuscaloosa without Saban on the sidelines in over two decades, it’s time to take a look back at how Fulmer’s Vols got it done.
The date was Oct. 25, 2003, and it needed a grueling effort. Five overtimes were required to determine a winner before the Vols walked away with a 51-43 win.
For such a classic, the first half proved very uneventful. Both teams traded an ugly first quarter with Alabama only able to get a field goal despite two fumbles from Tennessee running back Cedric Houston and quarterback Casey Clausen in the opening frame.
Clausen would end the night 23-for-43 passing with four touchdowns and the winning score in the fifth overtime.
“When you get to overtime, it’s basically last man standing,” Clausen said. “They made great plays and we made great plays. It’s just great to get out of here with a win.”
The second quarter wasn’t much different as both teams traded field goals, giving the Crimson Tide a 6-3 lead going into the half.
Things quickly picked up in the second half. Each side would find the end zone in each of the remaining regulation quarters. Tennessee kicker James Wilhoit drilled a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter following a crucial interception from Vols linebacker Cory Campbell of Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle to give the Vols a 13-6 lead.
“He’s a very talented individual,” defensive coordinator John Chavis said. “He’s been forced into playing time and done well with it.”
Croyle found Triandos Luke down the field for a 36-yard touchdown to even the score once again. With just eight minutes to go in regulation, things heated up. The Alabama defense got a crucial stop deep in its own territory to set up Croyle’s 51-yard completion to Zack Fletcher.
Crimson Tide running back Ray Hudson rushed it in for the score from Tennessee’s two-yard line and put the Vols up against the wall. Tennessee stalled out on its next drive. With the Vols’ defense getting yet another stop, they got one more chance with 1:52 left in the game down a score.
Clausen proceeded to put together a drive to remember for Tennessee, highlighted by his 23-yard completion to Troy Flemming that got Tennessee into Alabama territory. From there, he found Mark Jones, who tallied 24 yards after the catch to bring the Vols to the Alabama one-yard line before they punched it in for the tie.
Alabama had one more chance to put the game away as the Crimson Tide returned Tennessee’s kickoff and attempted a 45-yard game-winning field goal. The kick was tipped by a Vols defender and fell well short of the goalposts, sending the game to overtime.
With the game tied at just 20 points apiece through regulation, this defensive battle quickly became a shootout in overtime. After a successful two-point conversion in the fifth overtime to put the Vols up for good, sophomore cornerback Jason Allen delivered the game-winning stop against Croyle at the goal line to seal the win for the Vols.
“That’s fitting after he got scorched a couple of times,” Fulmer said. “When the ball left his hand, I saw Jason was in great position, and I felt like we were going to start taking our headsets off.”
