The 11th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers hosted the 7th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in a home matchup in Neyland Stadium on October 19th, 2024. The Volunteers are coming off a 23-17 victory over rival Florida last week, while Alabama won a 27-25 nailbiter against South Carolina. Tennessee was 9th in the SEC standings and Alabama was 8th leading up to their game.
Tennessee:
Offensively, Tennessee was scoreless in the first quarter, but they were able to make plays on long drives but weren’t successful for a majority of offensive possessions in the first half. Throughout the game, their passing attack started to ramp up, but turnovers were a damaging factor. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was 14/27 passing with 194 yards and 1 touchdown to 1 interception.
Nico Sustained an injury in the first half but came back into the game. Nico missed numerous throughout the game and had bad decisions that led to the end of drives and a turnover. Their rushing attack was a large contributing factor. Running back Dylan Sampson carried the ball 26 times doe 139 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Although the Volunteers’ offense was a bit stagnant, when it mattered, they made plays.
Defensively, the volunteers played well, holding Alabama to zero points in the first quarter and getting a red zone interception. Their front 7 got to Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, forcing him out of the pocket numerous times. The defensive line was instrumental to their success. Penalties did hurt them but towards the end of the game, they made numerous stops in the clutch.
Alabama:
Offensively, the Tide weren’t very productive in the first half as they only scored 7 points. Alabama passed the ball a good amount and thrived in that aspect of the game. But they did have a number of missed opportunities, such as bad throws or dropped passes. The offensive line struggled in pass protection for a good part of the contest but improved down the stretch. Quarterback Jalen Milroe was 25/45 passing with 239 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Alabama wasn’t very efficient in the red zone either and only rushed for 75 yards. Toward the end of the game Alabama had a chance to stage a comeback but ultimately failed.
Defensively, Alabama caused numerous turnovers and their defensive line continuously pressured Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava in the pass game. Their secondary had a good game overall, coming away with 2 interceptions but big plays by Tennessee’s receivers led to points being scored.
Tennessee won the game 24-17 increasing their record to 6-1 while Alabama drops to 5-2. Penalties and coming away from drives with no points hindered both sides. Overall, the game was back and forth and was a battle of two heavyweight SEC teams.
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