KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Safety Will Brooks’ interception with one minute, 28 seconds remaining sealed the deal, as No. 11/10 Tennessee’s defense was stout throughout and its offense scored all of its points in the second half to earn a thrilling 24-17 victory over No. 7 Alabama in front of a raucous crowd of 101,915 on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols (6-1, 3-1 SEC) trailed 7-0 at the half, 10-7 in the third quarter and 17-14 in the fourth before a 16-yard Nico Iamaleava pass found a diving Chris Brazzell II in the back of the end zone to put UT up 21-17 with 5:52 remaining. Max Gilbert’s 41-yard field goal with 1:30 left extended the lead to seven, 24-17.
The Crimson Tide (5-2, 2-2 SEC), though, had one final opportunity, starting at its own 25. On the first play, quarterback Jalen Milroe’s pass attempt was picked off by Brooks. The Tennessee offense took two snaps to run out the clock, setting the scene for the orange-clad masses to stream onto the field and carry both goal posts out of the historic venue, reminiscent of the 52-49 Vols triumph in Knoxville two seasons ago.
Running back Dylan Sampson propelled a second-half resurgence by the Big Orange’s offense, carrying 26 times for a career-high-tying 139 yards and two touchdowns on the night. With the two scores, Sampson passed Tony Thompson (16 in 1990) and tied Reggie Cobb (17 in 1987) for the second-most single-season rushing TDs in Tennessee history. Only Gene McEver (18 in 1929) has more.
In addition to Brooks’ pick, cornerback Jermod McCoy came up with a huge one earlier in the game to prevent points by Alabama. With the Tide threatening at the UT three-yard line, the cornerback leaped high into the air to intercept a second-down Milroe pass in the end zone and return the ball 54 yards to the Alabama 46. McCoy finished the game with a team-high eight stops and added a pass break-up. Brooks also matched McCoy for tackles, including a pair of key stops that appeared to thwart potential scoring plays, and added a tackle for a loss.
The UT defense was relentless all night long, finishing with 12 quarterback hurries, three sacks and nine tackles for losses. James Pearce Jr. and Joshua Josephs each had three hurries, while Dominic Bailey added a pair of pressures. Pearce (1.5), Bailey (1) and Jeremiah Telander (0.5) all recorded sacks of the shifty Milroe, limiting his rushing total to only 11 yards on 14 attempts.
Tennessee now has held its opponents under 20 points in eight straight games, dating back to the 35-0 shutout win over Iowa in the 2024 Citrus Bowl. It marks the first time UT has accomplished the feat in its first seven games of a season since 1969.
Receivers Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton Jr. stretched the defense and helped keep the Tide defense off balance. McCoy finished with a game-high 80 receiving yards on a season-high six catches, while Thornton Jr. hauled in three balls for 70. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava finished 14 of 27 for 194 yards, with 150 of them going to those two targets.
The first half saw only one score between the teams. Tennessee’s defense forced Alabama to punt four times in seven possessions, intercepted a pass and held the Crimson Tide to a 50-yard field goal attempt that fell short late in the second stanza. UA’s defense, meanwhile, made UT punt only once, but it kept the hosts scoreless with three takeaways and benefited from two unsuccessful field goal tries of 50-plus yards by the Big Orange.
Alabama generated the only points of the opening 30 minutes early in the second stanza. Milroe found wide receiver Ryan Williams in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass with 13:01 left in the half, and Graham Nicholson’s PAT gave the Crimson Tide a 7-0 lead.
The Vol offense started clicking on the opening drive of the second half, tying the game with 6:32 to go in the third quarter. The Big Orange went 91 yards to do it, scoring in only seven plays and covering 84 of those yards on the ground. Iamaleava rushed for 31 of those and Sampson racked up 53 more, including a two-yard plunge into the checkerboard. Gilbert’s PAT made it 7-7.
Alabama retook the lead on its next possession, putting together a 10-play, 58-yard drive. Nicholson’s 35-yard field goal pushed the Crimson Tide back on top, 10-7, with 3:11 remaining in the third frame.
The Vols punched right back and seized their first lead of the game. With their five-play drive boosted by an incredible third-and-six connection of 55 yards from Iamaleava to Thornton Jr. down to the Alabama three, Sampson burst through the line on the next play to hit the checkerboard. Gilbert’s extra point provided Tennessee a 14-10 advantage with a minute to go in the third.
The Crimson Tide needed only six plays to wrestle the lead right back. Justice Haynes squirted up the middle for a seven-yard touchdown run, and Nicholson’s PAT gave Alabama a 17-14 advantage with 13:56 remaining in the contest.
The second-half scoring volley continued with a little “Razzle Brazzell” from the home team. A diving catch by Brazzell II capped a seven-play, go-ahead Tennessee drive. Gilbert booted the extra point to increase the Vols’ edge to 21-17 with 5:52 left on the clock.
After the Rocky Top defense forced an Alabama punt and ended another drive on downs in back-to-back series, UT’s Gilbert extended his team’s lead to 24-17 with 1:30 left, splitting the uprights from 41 yards out. It was an advantage the Vols were able to preserve to claim victory.
UP NEXT
After being idle next weekend, Tennessee returns to Shields-Watkins Field on Nov. 2 to face Kentucky in the Vols’ third straight home game. Kickoff time and TV network will be announced next week.
