The Alabama Crimson Tide throttled Tennessee 49-10, strengthening their grip on the No. 1 spot in the polls.
At the risk of stating the obvious, this was an awesome performance for the Crimson Tide. The defense dominated this contest from the opening whistle, never allowing Tennessee to get in any sort of rhythm offensively. Even when the Volunteers cut the lead to 14-7, which prompted Peyton Manning and Verne Lundquist to say, “we have ourselves a football game”, it never seemed like Alabama was ever in danger of losing the contest. After all, Tennessee had just 22 yards of total offense when they made that statement.
Things wouldn’t get much better in the second half. Although Tennessee did move the ball a little better in the final 30 minutes, it wasn’t able to work any of its second half magic in this contest, finishing the afternoon with just 163 yards. The Crimson Tide D won the battle on third down all day long, limiting the Vols to just 3 of 16 on this crucial down.
The Alabama offense was every bit as impressive. Sure, it turned the ball over twice, but that’s about the only bad thing you can say about its performance. Tennessee had absolutely no answers for the Crimson Tide ground game, which ran 49 times for 438 yards (8.9 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. As a result of this success, Alabama racked up a season-high 594 yards of total offense.
This dominant showing on both sides of the ball proves that Nick Saban’s squad is the top team in the country. Yes, the game with Ole Miss was closer than expected. However, the Crimson Tide has won every contest in convincing fashion since then, including two double-digit wins against ranked opponents. Considering that Alabama turned in its best performance of the year against the highest ranked opponent that it’s played this year, it’s tough to see them losing this season. After all, how do you beat a team that raises its level of play when it plays against elite competition?
Texas A&M will attempt to answer that question next weekend. If Alabama wins that contest, it won’t be challenged again until the College Football Playoff.
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About Terry P. Johnson
Terry Johnson is the Associate Editor for The Student Section. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation.