Alabama falls to Tennessee

October 19, 2024 – Knoxville – orange clad Volunteer fans were smoking cigars and singing 'Rocky Top' after the University of Tennessee football team bested the University of Alabama 17 to 24.

For Tide head Coach Kalen DeBoer its been a rough introduction to SEC football. Just three weeks ago, Alabama was the number 1 team in the country. Then two road trips to Tennessee in the last three weeks happened. In the first, a trip up I-65 to Nashville to play Vanderbilt, resulted in Vanderbilt's first victory over Alabama since 1984. The trip to up I-59 to Knoxville has resulted in a second conference loss for DeBoer, putting the Tide's playoff hopes in doubt.

This is the second loss to Tennessee in three years and drops the Tide to 5 and 2 overall and 2 and 2 in the conference. The two losses by the middle of October has put the Tide's fading dreams of going to the playoffs on life support. Yes, some two loss teams will go to the playoffs; but now the Tide has to run the table these last five weeks of the season to avoid picking up their third loss. Every game for Alabama is now essentially a playoff elimination game.

Georgia's defeat of Texas on Saturday means that there is a logjam of teams near the top of the conference and there is no clear super team this year in the SEC. The Tide could still get to Atlanta for the SEC championship game; but they are going to have to be perfect from here out and they are going to need help.

Tide Quarterback Jalen Milroe had 25 completions on 45 attempts for 239 yards; but Milroe turned the ball over twice, the last of which occurred on the Tide's last possession allowing the Volunteers to kneel down on the ball to run out the clock.

The Tide is still struggling to run the ball and pass protection broke down in several key situations.

Penalties continue to haunt the Tide this week. Alabama under DeBoer has been a very undisciplined team to this point – contributing mightily to the two losses. The Tide is 128th out of 130 football program in the country in the number of penalties. A 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on a receiver for shoving a Tennessee play in the last three minutes of the game when the Tide trailed Tennessee 17 to 21 turned a fourth and seven into a fourth and twenty-two play. DeBoer went for it anyway. The screen pass that followed came up far too short turning the ball over on downs. The Tide defense stepped up big and kept Tennessee from punching the ball in for a touchdown or moving the sticks for a first down. Tennessee had to settle for a field goal that made the score 17 to 24.

The Tide offense got the ball back with less than two minutes to play and no timeouts; but the Milroe interception ended any hope that Alabama had.

This is the earliest in the season that the Tide has had two losses since 2006 – former Coach Nick Saban's first year.

Alabama plays Missouri next. The Tide is a slight favorite there; but the game in two weeks with LSU is looming large for the Tide. The 2024 Alabama football season is on the brink – a place where it seldom was under Saban.

DeBoer could still be the next Tide coach to get a statue in Tuscaloosa; but the coaching is really going to have to improve down the stretch for the 2024 season not to end as a disappointment for Tide fans.

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