Tennessee Win Stands Out Even In Gripping Weekend Of College Football

There are rivalries in college football — and then there’s Tennessee vs. Alabama. Fans of the Crimson Tide and Volunteers alike have been looking forward to seeing the teams square off every October for nearly a century.

Of course, the past 15 years under head coach Nick Saban’s leadership have seen Alabama run roughshod over its long-time rival. This year, however, was different.

Saturday’s upset

Tennessee made the most of their time on the field against Alabama on Saturday, fighting for a narrow win that was secured when the Crimson Tide missed a pivotal field goal as the clock ran out. When Tennessee gained possession of the ball and ran it 45 yards in the final seconds of the game, the crowd went wild and the Volunteers locked in a 52-49 win.

The worst might be over

While it’s impossible to determine whether Saturday’s win will mark an end to Tennessee’s rough patch, it was certainly enough to rally fans who had become all too accustomed to seeing their beloved team stumble and struggle through season after season.

Beyond the shouts of joy from beleaguered Volunteer fans, this come-from-behind win is a sign to college football fans across the nation that even giants can fall every once in a while. Indeed, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel was astute in his post-game assessment: “This is college football at its best.”

Other Week 7 highlights

Most of the attention might have been on the Alabama-Tennessee game, but there were plenty of other noteworthy games. Here are a few for the history books:

• No. 5 Michigan dominated No. 10 Penn State in a 41-17 rout.
• Ole Miss is still undefeated after clobbering rival Auburn.
• Oklahoma proved itself to critics with a 52-42 win over Kansas.

Chris Agee October 17th, 2022

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