For the fourth week in a row, Alabama football matched up with a ranked SEC opponent. For the fourth week in a row, Alabama defeated a ranked SEC opponent. No other team has ever done that without a bye week.
Things were far from perfect again, but it's hard to complain when you beat the No. 11-ranked team in the country by 17 points and lead by multiple scores from four minutes to in the second quarter and on.
Alabama is now 6-1, winners of six consecutive games. The Crimson Tide has moved up to No. 4 in both the AP and Coaches Polls and is firmly in the driver's seat in the race to make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
There are plenty of landmines left on the schedule, including a tricky road game in Columbia next week against South Carolina, but for now, we can sit back, puff on our leftover cigars, and enjoy another Third Saturday in October victory.
Here's what we learned from Alabama's win over Tennessee
Ty Simpson continues to play like the country's best quarterback
This is not a dominant Alabama football team. It's certainly nowhere close to some of the peak-Saban era teams. That's okay, with NIL, revenue sharing, and the Transfer Portal, those level of teams will never exist again. This team is good enough to go all the way, and the development of QB Ty Simpson gives them a chance every single week, regardless of the opponent.
With Ryan Williams looking a lot more like Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard continuing his steadying presence, the Alabama passing offense continues to be a major problem for defenses. Simpson is right in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race and did little to change that against Tennessee.
He finished 19-of-29 passing for 253 yards and a couple of touchdown tosses. Major props should go to the offensive line, too, for keeping Simpson upright. After getting sacked eight times over the last two weeks, Tennessee didn't register a single sack of Simpson.
If he's kept clean, he's going to tear defenses apart.
Alabama's secondary was outstanding against a lethal Tennessee passing attack
Holding Tennessee's high-powered offense to just 20 points is a remarkable accomplishment for Kane Wommack and his defense. Wommack has received a lot of criticism as the Tide's defensive coordinator, and while it isn't always pretty, the defense continues to do what it takes to win games.
Tennessee found some success on the ground, much to the chagrin of Alabama fans. But that's going to happen; the Vols are tough to stop running the football because of how they spread you out. Alabama's secondary, however, kept Tennessee's explosive passing offense in check. The Vols finished with a -18.87 EPA on pass plays, per Game on Paper.
The play of the game was, obviously, Zabien Brown's pick-six right before halftime, turning what looked to be headed to a 16-14 score into a 23-7 Alabama lead at halftime. But on a down-to-down basis, Alabama made life difficult for Joey Aguilar and the Vols' passing attack.
Tennessee had 170 passing yards until the last couple of drives when the game was well in hand. Alabama also sacked Aguilar four times, getting good pressure on him and making him uncomfortable. Alabama was able to match up well with Tennessee's talented receivers, and that ultimately led to a comfortable Tide victory.
Red Morgan earned more playing time
When the story of this game is being told 10 years from now, people will remember Brown's pick-six. People may even remember Yhonzae Pierre's three sacks. Many won't remember how well sophomore defensive back Red Morgan played, and how Wommack and Maurice Linguist making the decision to sub him in over DaShawn Jones made a massive difference for the Tide's secondary.
Tennessee liked the matchup with their slot receivers against Jones, and they took full advantage early in the game. Morgan erased that advantage and played with his hair on fire. He was aggressive and covered well. It was his best performance in an Alabama uniform.
One of the most underrated aspects of DeBoer and this coaching staff is how they keep players who aren't playing as much as they expected or wanted engaged. Morgan was a starter for a good chunk of last season before Jones replaced him. He had every reason to sulk, but he has just quietly gotten better, and that showed in a major way against Tennessee as Morgan made a big impact in the Crimson Tide's win that shouldn't be forgotten.
Alabama was able to run the football when it had to in the 4th quarter
The overall rushing numbers weren't pretty. Again. It's even more disappointing this week because everything pointed toward the Crimson Tide being able to find success against a Tennessee run defense that came in ranked 114th in the nation in rushing defense success rate.
For the game, Alabama gained 120 yards on 32 carries, but that was inflated by some gadget-type runs with Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams, which accounted for 65 of those 120 yards on the ground.
For the running backs, Alabama gained 47 yards on 22 attempts, including a disappointing 15 yards on 12 carries by Jam Miller.
But when push came to shove down the stretch, Alabama was able to move the ball on the ground to squeeze the rest of the life out of Tennessee. Alabama picked up 50 rushing yards in the fourth quarter and found a spark on the ground from redshirt freshman RB Daniel Hill. Hill picked up 34 yards on seven attempts and punched in the game-sealing touchdown with under six minutes to play.
38 of Alabama's 50 fourth-quarter rushing yards came on that drive. Hill is likely to see an increased workload moving forward and could be the offense's secret weapon when looking to close opponents out. He's a load to try and deal with when you're already winded.
Alabama's complimentary football in the third quarter
Alabama continues to prove it can stare adversity in the face and not blink this year. When things went wrong a year ago, they tended to spiral. This year, the Crimson Tide can shake it off and just move forward.
After taking a 23-7 lead at halftime, things started poorly for Alabama in the third quarter. The offense quickly went 3-and-out, Tennessee got the ball, and within four minutes of game time, the Vols had cut the lead to just 10 points.
Things got worse on the following possession for Alabama, when Simpson fumbled near midfield and several offensive linemen just watched the ball bounce around on the ground before Tennessee ultimately recovered it. Tennessee took over at its own 47, poised to cut the Tide's lead to one possession.
Alabama's defense stood strong, however, forcing a punt after five plays. The Vols pinned the Tide at the 1-yard line, but then Simpson engineered a 9-play, 99-yard touchdown to put Alabama back up by three scores late in the third quarter.
This team is comfortable being uncomfortable, and while it would have been nice to see them keep the throttle down immediately to start the second half, it was great to see them take a quick punch and punch back.