A lot of things went wrong for No. 8 Alabama en route to a 24-17 loss to No. 11 Tennessee.
In the first half, the Volunteers had three turnovers. Two were interceptions and one was a forced fumble caused by graduate senior defensive back Malachi Moore. The Alabama offense was unable to capitalize off the turnovers and scored no points as a result.
Throughout the entire game, Alabama’s offense struggled to generate any momentum. The Crimson Tide were 3/14 on third downs. In addition, Alabama was penalized 15 times for 115 yards. In a 2022 loss to Tennessee, Alabama was penalized 17 times for 130 yards.
Altogether, it was one of the most disappointing losses that Alabama has suffered in a long time. Some would argue that it could have been different if several calls had gone the Crimson Tide’s way.
Several questionable calls went Tennessee’s way in the second half causing an uproar from the Alabama faithful. A “missed” call occurred in the red zone in the second half in which wide receiver Ryan Williams was clearly held.
With over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, star Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr. appeared to cross the neutral zone. Instead of it resulting in a penalty, it resulted in a sack for the projected first-round pick.
With under a minute in the fourth quarter, Alabama wide receiver Kendrick Law was called for a dead-ball unsportsmanlike conduct which resulted in a 15-yard penalty. After the replay was shown, it was quite clear that Tennessee’s defensive back initiated the penalty and preceded to headbutt Law after he made Law retaliate in frustration.
The questionable calls make it more difficult for Alabama fans to accept the loss. However, it is a loss nonetheless. Failed execution, penalties, and turnovers ultimately resulted in Alabama suffering its second loss of the season.
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