Alabama Falls to Tennessee in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Alabama Crimson Tide fell for the third consecutive trip to the Volunteer State, losing to Tennessee 26-10. The Crimson Tide falls to 5-2 on the season with the loss in Knoxville, while Tennessee improves to 6-1. On a day littered with top SEC teams falling (No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Texas), the Crimson Tide was no different in Knoxville as the Volunteers smoked their victory cigars yet again on their home turf.

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Alabama Looked Like it let Georgia Beat them Twice

The Crimson Tide's offense was rough to watch all night long, with no rhyme, rhythm, or reason for play calls. The Tide had no chemistry on an offense missing its top receiving option in Ryan Coleman-Williams, who will be sidelined for an extended period of time after having an arthroscopic procedure done on his knee this week following an injury in last week's loss to Georgia. The Tide's run game looked like it did last season, getting less than three yards per carry, while the passing game was lethargic, with no Crimson Tide receiver seeing more than X receptions while Russell struggled to find and hit open receivers.

The Tide's leading rusher had just 34 yards, while its leading receiver had just 54 yards. In a "rock fight" type of football game, the Tide had nobody to turn to when it needed tough yardage.

Ugly Play Calling Reared its Ugly Head...And Cost Alabama a Win

There was no rhyme or reason to the Tide's play calling on offense. When the run game would begin to look like it was in a groove, they would call a pass. When the passing game hit a couple of big completions, they'd run the ball. Instead of getting Keelon Russell help in pass blocking or taking some easy checkdowns, they would call a long, drawn-out play. Nothing the Crimson Tide did made any sense on Saturday night, including how Kalen DeBoer's most physical team got bloodied, beaten, and bruised on the line of scrimmage. Still, you have to tip your cap to the Volunteers, who may not have been scoring as the 2022 Tennessee team did, but this game was just as physical and dirty as the 2022 game that Tennessee won against the Crimson Tide with a bruising running back and stout defense, despite a struggling pass game.

Your Season is Now on the Line in Every Game You Play

Bottom line: Alabama is now in "wounded animal" mode for the remainder of the season. The Crimson Tide has two losses before November on its resume for the second time in three seasons, and you don't have the luxury of a mulligan anymore. All the goodwill that Alabama and Kalen DeBoer had built with this staff among the fanbase is right back out the window after Alabama's third loss in three tries in Knoxville. The last time the Crimson Tide won at Tennessee was 2020. Knoxville is officially Alabama's boogeyman. And now, if the Crimson Tide hopes to make the College Football Playoffs in the final year of the 12-team era, an era many Alabama fans said would keep the Crimson Tide from ever missing the playoffs again, Alabama will have to win out the remainder of the season.

Alabama falls to 5-2 (3-2) on the 2026 season, while Tennessee improves to 6-1 (3-1). Alabama's next contest will come at home against the Texas A&M Aggies next Saturday, October 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.

Coverage of No. 6 Alabama's road trip to take on No. 14 Tennessee on the Third Saturday in October is brought to you by Pearl River Resort and the Sportsbook at Golden Moon Casino.