TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There was nonetheless 5:49 remaining within the fourth quarter, however the air inside Bryant-Denny Stadium was already thick with cigar smoke.
Zabien Brown returned an interception 99 yards for a landing as time expired within the first half, and No. 6 Alabama rolled to a 37-20 victory over No. 11 Tennessee within the rivalry generally known as the “Third Saturday in October.”
Brown’s choose gave the Tide a 23-7 lead and was all Alabama’s protection wanted whereas delivering its finest efficiency of the season. The Tide (6-1, 4-0 SEC) held the nation’s highest-scoring offense to simply 410 yards, properly under its 529-yard common.
Ty Simpson accomplished 19 of 29 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns with out an interception. He led two TD drives of 90-plus yards because the Crimson Tide received their sixth consecutive recreation, together with 4 in a row towards ranked opponents.
Alabama’s last landing, a 4-yard run by Daniel Hill with 5:49 remaining, ignited cigar smoke from each route inside Bryant-Denny Stadium — a practice for the victors on this rivalry.
For Tennessee (5-2, 2-2), Joey Aguilar accomplished 28 of 44 passes for 268 yards, with a landing and an interception. DeSean Bishop ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Alabama prevented again Tennessee from successful consecutive video games within the sequence for the primary time since 2003-04. Alabama has received 17 of 19 within the rivalry.
Alabama’s win, coupled with losses by No. 2 Miami and No. 5 Ole Miss, ought to propel the Tide into the highest 5 within the subsequent AP Ballot on Sunday. Tennessee will certainly fall, together with No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 LSU.
The Volunteers’ loss featured plenty of uncharacteristic statistics. They failed to attain 30 factors for the primary time this season, and a protection that led the SEC in sacks did not file one.
The Related Press contributed to this report.