It took two fourth-and-goal conversions to do it but the Tide finally opened the flood gates late in the second quarter to push their lead to 21-0 at half. Jalen Hurts went back in for the next drive, led the team down the field through the air, threw a touchdown pass, and his day was already over early in the third quarter.
Jalen Hurts had one of his more impressive games from the pocket, going 13-of-21 for 198 yards and a touchdown. As the broadcast mentioned, he was not asked to run as much as he has in the past, and took the opportunity to show off what he could do with his arm. Backup freshman, Tua Tagovailoa, also looked good outside of one low-thrown ball that turned into a pick six. He completed 9-of-12 passes for 134 yards and an impressive touchdown throw, himself.
Damien Harris once again was the workhorse with 72 yards on 13 carries and a score. Bo Scarbrough played a big role early with his two fourth-down touchdown leaps that gave them a 14-0 lead. Tagovailoa showed off his athleticism on the ground today, going for 42 yards and a score on an impressive double move.
Defensively, Mack Wilson helped prevent a Tennessee score late by snagging an INT at the goal line. Levi Wallace tortured Tennessee’s quarterback with multiple big hits and a pair of sacks on designed blitzes. Alabama gave up just over 100 total yards on the day, another strong outing from a defense with heavy NFL Draft-inflicted wounds.
Special teams mistakes reared its ugly head once again, however, as Xavian Marks dropped one punt return and fumbled another – a week after a three drop special teams outing by the Tide.
The 45-7 final result today all but assures we will not be seeing the likes of Butch Jones too much longer. Coming in to today’s game with one of the hottest seats in America – possibly so hot a win could not have saved him – another badly called/executed game will have everyone calling for his head. Perhaps he will get a chance to take his champions of life trophy elsewhere this offseason.
