Tennessee Turns Back Tide, 24-17

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.