ALABAMA NOTES:
INSIDE THE SERIES Overall: 107th Meeting (Alabama leads, 60-38-8) In Knoxville: Alabama leads, 27-21-1 Current Streak: Alabama, Won 1 Last Meeting: Oct. 21, 2023 – Tuscaloosa (W, 34-20) Series Notes: Alabama and Tennessee will square off for the 107th time in series history when the two teams kick off on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. The Crimson Tide owns the all-time advantage, 60-38-8, including a 27-21-1 mark in Knoxville. Alabama came out on top, 34-20, in the most recent meeting on Oct. 21 of last season, while the Vols claimed a 52-49 win in 2022, the last time the teams squared off in Knoxville. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has never faced the Volunteers during his head coaching career, while Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is 1-2 against the Tide.
DEBOER AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Kalen DeBoer is 13-2 across 15 career matchups with teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including an impressive 5-1 mark against top-10 teams. Added to those totals was the Crimson Tide’s 41-34 win over then-No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 28. DeBoer’s first career matchup against a top-25 foe at the FBS level came at Fresno State on Sept. 4, 2021, with the Bulldogs falling at No. 11 Oregon. Following the loss to the Ducks, DeBoer-led teams at Fresno and Washington proceeded to reel off 12 straight wins against ranked foes, including six victories in 2023. The winning streak was snapped following Washington’s 34-13 loss to top-ranked Michigan in last season’s CFP National Championship.
NOT FOR A CENTURY: With a 5-1 record, Kalen DeBoer becomes the first Alabama head coach since Frank Thomas in 1931 to win five of his first six games in his inaugural season at the Capstone. AGAINST THE TOP 10: Alabama owns an 86-80-1 (.516) all-time record against teams ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press Poll. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Crimson Tide has posted a 37-14 (.725) overall record against top-10 teams, including a 22-8 (.733) mark versus the top 10 since the inception of the College Football Playoff. BEATING THE BEST: The Crimson Tide is 81-22 (.786) against the Associated Press Top 25 since the start of 2008. That record includes the Tide’s 41-34 win over then-No. 1/2 Georgia on Sept. 28. Alabama owned a 4-2 mark in 2023 with wins against then-No. 15 Ole Miss on Sept. 23, then-No. 17 Tennessee on Oct. 21, then-No. 13 LSU on Nov. 4 and finally against then-No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 2. Since 2007, Alabama has 25 wins over AP top-five teams, the most in the country. LSU has produced the next-closest win total with 12. ALABAMA IN THE AP POLL: Alabama’s No. 7 ranking in the Week 8 edition of the Associated Press Poll marked the 269th consecutive week that the Crimson Tide has appeared in the poll. That streak is the longest active streak in college football. The 269 weeks more than doubles second-place Georgia with the Bulldogs appearing in the poll for 122 consecutive weeks. Alabama’s 269 straight weeks tops the Crimson Tide’s previous program-long streak of 105 consecutive weeks under head coach Gene Stallings in the mid-1990s.
OFFENSIVE NOTES:
MILROE vs. THE BEST: As Alabama’s starter each of the last two seasons, Jalen Milroe has played some of his best football against the top competition. He has guided the Crimson Tide to five wins over Associated Press Top 25 teams, including the Tide’s 41-34 victory on Sept. 28 over then-No. 2 Georgia to go with four wins a season ago. In seven total contests against AP Top 25 foes across the last two seasons, Milroe has completed 67.8 percent (116-171) of his passes for 1,601 yards while accounting for 15 total touchdowns (nine passing, six rushing). He has accumulated 2,040 total yards in those matchups. PILING UP THE POINTS: Jalen Milroe has accounted for 23 total touchdowns in six games of action this season, including 12 passing and 11 rushing. His 23 total scores are tied for the national lead, while his 140 points are the second-best total in the country. Milroe’s 11 rushing scores are the second-most among quarterbacks in Division I, while he is one of only 33 FBS quarterbacks with at least 12 passing touchdowns.
THROWING THE BOMB: Through six games this season, Jalen Milroe has completed 96-of-132 passes for 1,483 yards. Entering Alabama’s matchup with Tennessee, Milroe is averaging 11.23 yards per pass attempt, the top mark in the country. He has also accumulated 15.45 yards per completion which ranks third in the conference and sixth in Division I. HOME RUN HITTER: Jalen Milroe’s passing touchdowns have typically come in the form of a big play during his time as QB1 at Alabama. Across 19 starts in the last two seasons, he is averaging 35.9 yards per passing touchdown, accumulating 1,258 total yards on 35 scores. This season alone, the Katy, Texas, native has thrown for 12 total touchdowns with every score coming from at least 16 yards or better. He has also recorded four touchdowns of 55-plus yards, highlighted by an 84-yarder in the season opener with Western Kentucky. As the starter in 2023, Milroe averaged 33.1 yards per score across his 23 passing touchdowns.
DEFENSIVE NOTES:
HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON: Linebacker Que Robinson currently leads Alabama in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (7), including a career-high three tackles for loss on Oct. 5 at Vanderbilt. According to Pro Football Focus, Robinson’s 90.5 pass rush grade stands as the third-best mark among all Division I edge rushers. KEENAN III NAMED SEC DL OF THE WEEK: Alabama’s Tim Keenan III was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 9 following his standout performance against USF. Keenan III managed personal bests in sacks (1.5), tackles for loss (2.5) and total tackles (9), while also contributing one quarterback hurry. KEON, KEEPING ON: Keon Sabb was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week and the Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week following Alabama’s season opener against Western Kentucky on Aug. 31. Sabb earned the start at safety and played a key role in helping UA shut out the Hilltoppers, recording two tackles and a pair of interceptions with a combined 87 yards on his returns.
LAYING DOWN THE LAW: Linebacker Deontae Lawson was named the Lott Trophy Player of the Week on Oct. 2 following his standout performance in Alabama’s 41-34 win over then-No. 2/1 Georgia on Sept. 28. Lawson produced a team-high 10 tackles, including seven solo stops. The redshirt junior also contributed one sack (-11 yards), two tackles for loss and a pass breakup against the Bulldogs. FALL ON THE BALL: Through six games, the Alabama defense has forced eight fumbles with six recoveries (75.0 percent). The Crimson Tide is one of only 13 defensive units to have recovered at least six fumbles this season. CREATING CHAOS: The Crimson Tide have forced 12 total turnovers (six fumbles, six interceptions) in its first six games, the second-most in the SEC. Alabama is one of just 18 teams to have forced at least 12 turnovers in 2024. TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS: Alabama has forced at least one turnover in 117 of the last 133 contests (dating back to the start of the 2015 season). During the current run, Alabama has forced 207 turnovers (131 interceptions, 76 fumbles) and returned 42 of those miscues for touchdowns. SHUTOUTS SINCE 2007: Since 2007, Alabama has recorded 27 shutouts, including 12 in Southeastern Conference play. With its 63-0 win over Western Kentucky on Aug. 31, the Crimson Tide defense has 12 more shutouts than its nearest competitor over that span. Ranking second in shutouts during that time is Ohio State with 15. HARD TO FIND THE END ZONE AGAINST THE TIDE: Since the start of the 2009 season, no team has allowed fewer touchdowns than the Crimson Tide. Alabama has surrendered only 384 touchdowns over the last 214 games. That is 46 fewer than second-place Iowa (430).
TENNESSEE NOTES:
THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER: It’s the 107th meeting between No. 11/10 Tennessee and No. 7/7 Alabama at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Billed the Third Saturday in October since 1939, the two teams are meeting as top 20 teams for the 22nd time. Both teams are off to a 5-1 start and a 2-1 mark in league play, which is in a four-way tie for fifth place. The Vols are seeking back-to-back home wins over the Tide for the first time since 2004, ’06. This is the second of four straight games for the Vols in Neyland Stadium. Tennessee has won four in a row at home and is 16-1 in Neyland since the start of the 2022 season. The Vols are seeking bowl eligibility for a fourth straight season for the first time since 2001-04. OT VICTORY: RB Dylan Sampson ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns, including the decisive 1-yard blow in overtime, as Tennessee overcame a 10-0 third-quarter deficit to stave off Florida, 23-17. The Vols scored 17 unanswered points to seize the lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the contest. Florida evened it up at 17 with 29 seconds left and came up empty on its first possession in OT with a missed field goal, setting the stage for UT’s first walk-off victory since defeating No. 3/1 Alabama, 52-49, in regulation on Oct. 15, 2022. Defensively, the Vols registered three sacks, and 12 tackles for loss and held the Gators to 5-of-15 on third down. Florida had the ball inside UT’s 30-yard line four times in the first half and managed only three points. Preseason All-American James Pearce Jr. made the play of the game when he forced Graham Mertz to fumble at the goal line to prevent a Gator score. Pearce Jr. recovered that fumble. Four Vols finished with seven tackles, including Pearce. LB Arion Carter had a key second-half interception. It was the first time since 1990-92 that the Vols earned back-to-back home wins vs. UF. It was also the first time since defeating Pitt in 2022 that UT rallied from a double-digit deficit to win. The Vols trailed 10-0 and 17-7 in the first half of that one. The Florida victory was the Vols’ first win when trailing by double-digits in the second half since beating Indiana in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. UT trailed 22-9 in the fourth quarter of that contest. The Vols improved to 2-1 in OT under Josh Heupel and 15-9 all-time in OT games. HEUPEL ERA: Josh Heupel, the 2022 AP SEC Coach of the Year, is in his fourth season at UT. Since taking over a program that was 3-7 before his arrival, Heupel owns a 32-13 record and is 25-7 since the start of the 2022 season. The 25 wins since the start of 2022 are the fourth-most in the SEC. He led UT to the program’s winningest two-year stretch (20 from 2022-23) since the Vols won 20 from 2003-04. Since 2018, he ranks sixth nationally among active FBS head coaches after hitting the 60-win mark last week vs. Florida. Heupel became the first UT coach to register back-to-back home game victories over the Gators since Gen. Robert Neyland won three home games in a row in 1933, 1940, and 1952. Heupel owns a 10-8 record vs. ranked teams with the Vols. The 10 wins are third nationally among active FBS head coaches since 2021. TOP 10 IN THE FBS: Tennessee heads into the Alabama contest ranked in the FBS top 10 in 12 major categories: third-down defense (2nd – 24.1), yards per play allowed (2nd – 4.04), total defense (2nd – 249.8), kickoff return defense (3rd – 5.0), scoring defense (4th – 10.7), rushing defense (5th – 79.7), red zone defense (6th – 63.2), rushing offense (7th – 246.2), tackles for loss (7th – 8.3), punt return average (9th – 18.6), scoring offense (9th – 42.2), and total offense (9th – 484.5). UT has surrendered the third-fewest offensive TDs in the FBS this season (6). UT has not issued a first-half touchdown in seven straight games and every game this season. UT has yet to allow an opponent to reach the 20-point mark in 2024. Opponents have managed only two touchdowns in 12 quarters at Neyland Stadium this season.
NOTING THE TENNESSEE-ALABAMA SERIES • Tennessee and Alabama meet for the 107th time with the Crimson Tide holding a 60- 39-7 all-time advantage. •The two teams have played every season since 1928 except 1943 (World War II – no season). • In 1939, No. 5 Tennessee defeated Alabama, 21–0, and the rivalry was officially designated as the Third Saturday in October. • The last meeting in Neyland Stadium was a 52-49 Tennessee victory that snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Tide and was the Vols’ first victory in the series since Oct. 21, 2006. It represented the most points scored by the Vols in the series and the most points the Tide had allowed in any game since a 54-4 defeat vs. Sewanee in 1907. • Last year, Tennessee held a 20-7 halftime lead in Tuscaloosa, but the Tide scored 27 unanswered in the second half. It was the Vols’ first loss when leading at halftime in the Josh Heupel era. • The Alabama series is the third-longest in UT history (106 games) behind Kentucky (119) and Vanderbilt (117). • The Vols have put up at least 20 points in Heupel’s first three meetings vs. the Tide. It’s the first time UT has put up at least 20 in three straight meetings since 1995-2001. • Josh Heupel is 1-2 vs. Alabama as a head coach, and the Vols have led at one point in all three of those contests. Heupel was 2-0 vs. the Tide as an assistant coach at Oklahoma, including a 45-31 win in the 2014 Sugar Bowl as offensive coordinator. • Josh Heupel and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer are both South Dakota natives. Heupel is from Aberdeen, while DeBoer is from Milbank. The two towns are separated by 96 miles on Highway 12. • Tennessee senior tight end starter Miles Kitselman played the 2022-23 seasons at Alabama. This will be his third game in the series but his first in a Vols uniform. Kitselman signed with the Tide out of Hutchinson (Kan.) CC. • Tennessee LB coach William Inge served as the Co-DC/LB coach under Kalen DeBoer at Washington, including last year’s CFP run. The two also coached together at Fresno State and Indiana.