No. 6 Alabama handles No. 11 Tennessee as Crimson Tide as Ty Simpson shines in rivalry victory

The timeliness of Alabama's defense is one of its top attributes in 2025. The Crimson Tide aren't an outright dominant defense, but they are developing a reputation for coming up with big plays at the right time. Brown's 99-yard pick six was just the latest example. Alabama also forced a pair of red-zone turnovers from Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in a 30-14 win over the Commodores this season. In a 27-24 win at Missouri last week, Bama forced a pair of interceptions from Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula in the fourth quarter. Once again, timely turnovers made the difference in a competitive conference game. How sustainable that formula is remains to be seen, but it's working fantastically for the Crimson Tide right now.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson turned in another solid performance, finishing 19 of 29 with 253 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Crimson Tide were backed up on their own 1-yard line and leading just 23-13 in the third quarter when he sparked a 99-yard touchdown drive to help put the game away. Simpson hit Ryan Williams for a gain of 14 to jumpstart the drive. Later, on a third-and-2, he found Josh Cuevas for a 15-yard gain up the middle. A failure to convert that play would have returned the football to Tennessee and changed the game's complexion. But as he's done so often this season, Simpson kept the chains moving when it mattered most. The same was true again late, when he scampered for a first down on fourth-and-2 with 6:25 remaining and Alabama leading by 10.

This could be the year when the SEC gets a 3-loss team into the College Football Playoff. But the Volunteers won't want to tempt fate considering their strength of schedule is on the lighter end of the spectrum. With five games left on their regular season slate, the Vols will likely need to win all five in order to hear their names called on Selection Sunday in December. No. 14 Oklahoma and No. 17 Vanderbilt are the two most-challenging foes on the slate, although both those games are at home. Road games at Kentucky and Florida could also be tricky. It won't be easy, but Tennessee is playing well enough to run the table. If not for a couple of critical blunders against Alabama, the Vols would have been right there late with a chance to win. 

Final: Alabama 37, Tennessee 20

No. 6 Alabama grew its winning streak to six games on Saturday with a 37-20 win over No. 11 Tennessee that was largely defined by a single spectacular play. The hero? Zabien Brown, an Alabama sophomore corner who changed the game's complexion with the highlight of his career to end the first half.

The Volunteers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) trailed 16-7 and were on Alabama's 1-yard line with just nine seconds remaining in the second quarter. Without a timeout, Tennessee opted to throw the football. Brown sniffed it out, intercepted Joey Aguilar and ran it back 99 yards for a touchdown.

It was potentially a 14-point swing, and it gave the Crimson Tide a 23-7 halftime lead. Tennessee refused to go quietly, but the Volunteers never got closer than 10 points in the second half as the Crimson Tide (6-1, 4-0) stayed one step ahead of their historic rival.

Ty Simpson led touchdown drives of 99 and 75 in the second half to keep Alabama ahead as the Crimson Tide secured their 11th straight home victory in the annual series. As Alabama put the finishing touches on the win, cigar smoke wafted through Bryant-Denny Stadium in accordance with the rivalry's longstanding tradition.

Tennessee finally got back on the right side of the rivalry for the first time since 2006 with home wins over the Crimson Tide in 2022 and 2024. But between a safety in the first half, Aguilar's critical interception and a botched snap on a critical third quarter play, the Volunteers simply made too many mistakes to pick up their first road win in the rivalry since 2003.

Late 4Q: Alabama 37, Tennessee 20

Ty Simpson was fortunate not to be intercepted on third-and-2 on the Tennessee 11-yard line. He atoned for a poor decision by scampering to pick up the first down on fourth-and-2. One play later, Daniel Hill punched it in from two yards out to essentially put this one out of reach. The Alabama offense has been rock solid on its last two possessions, keeping the football away from Joey Aguilar and answering the Volunteers' efforts to stay in the game.

Tennessee refuses to go quietly. The Volunteers just marched 75 yards on 13 plays to draw within 30-20 with 10:51 still remaining. DeSean Bishop finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run, adding to an impressive night. He's up to 123 yards rushing with two touchdowns on 14 carries. 

Start 4Q: Alabama 30, Tennessee 13

Alabama made it a three-possession game for the first time with an impressive 99-yard touchdown drive late in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide faced just one third down on the series, and it was only a third-and-2. For the most part, it was one chunk play after another for Bama on the 9-play march. Of those nine plays, six of them went for 10 or more yards, including Ty Simpson's 11-yard touchdown strike to Rico Scott.

If Tennessee falls short, it will kick itself for missing multiple opportunities. In addition to the likely 14-point swing at the end of the first half, the Volunteers just shot themselves in the foot in Alabama territory. There was a miscommunication with the snap on a second down play, and the center snapped the ball before Joey Aguilar was looking for it. That forced Aguilar to dive on the ball for a huge loss, which put Tennessee in a third-and-19. Aguilar subsequently threw a strike to Mike Matthews near the first-down marker, but he dropped the pass. Those back-to-back disastrous plays turned a promising possession into a punt.

Early 3Q: Alabama 23, Tennessee 13

Tennessee forced a three-and-out to begin the third quarter and then produced a quick-strike touchdown via a 44-yard DeSean Bishop scamper. That was an impressive response from the Volunteers, who could have been completely demoralized by the way the first half ended. Alabama has not generated anything in the traditional run game, so the Crimson Tide may still have to run some offense to get out with a victory.

It's hard to overstate how back-breaking that pick-six was for Tennessee. The Volunteers had executed to near-perfection while marching down the field to position themselves for a touchdown to potentially make the score 16-14. But as was often the case in the first half, Alabama's defense made a timely play. That's been the MO for Kane Wommack's unit all season — to bend without breaking. Against Vanderbilt, the Crimson. Tide forced Diego Pavia into a pair of red-zone turnovers. Now they've done it again vs. Tennessee. On a down-to-down basis, it's not an elite defense. But in clutch moments, it has been coming through.

Half: Alabama 23, Tennessee 7

Zabien Brown just changed the entire complexion of this game with a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the first half. Tennessee had a second-and-goal with nine seconds left. But since the Volunteers were out of timeouts, they opted for a pass play. Brown jumped it, took off running and evaded one potential tackler on his way to the end zone. That was a likely 14-point swing before the break, and Alabama gets the football to start the second half.

Late 2Q: Alabama 16, Tennessee 7

Alabama has seized control here in the second quarter with a 69-yard touchdown drive jumpstarted by a couple of strikes from Ty Simpson to Germie Bernard. The Crimson Tide get the football to begin the second half, so the upcoming possession will be big for Tennessee to either score or at least run some clock to prevent Alabama from piling on more before the break.

Mid 2Q: Alabama 9, Tennessee 7

Tennessee had secured the momentum with a touchdown drive and then by forcing a three-and-out. But after the Volunteers got the football back with the scored tied at 7-7, they went straight backwards. The possession began wit an offensive pass interference penalty that backed Tennessee up inside its own 10-yard line. Then Joey Aguilar was called for intentional grounding in the end zone while trying to escape Alabama's pass rush. 

9:46 2Q: Alabama 7, Tennessee 7

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar was on point during a game-tying touchdown drive, completing 4 of 5 passes, including a 2-yard scoring strike to Braylon Staley in the back of the end zone. Staley also made a 30-yard reception on a third-and-8 play to key the entire series. The Tennessee offensive line did a much better job in pass protection on that series after allowing sacks on the Vols' first two possessions.

Late 1Q: Alabama 7, Tennessee 0

Tennessee was marching into Alabama territory with visions of tying the game when Yhonzae Pierre sacked Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar for a loss of 13 on third-and-6. That play wrecked Tennessee's momentum and forced a punt. The Vols had done a good job of keeping Aguilar upright this season, but Pierre has already picked up a couple of sacks on the Tennessee quarterback in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Ty Simpson is off to a 5 of 6 start through the air as the Crimson Tide look strong early.

As Alabama reeled off 15 straight victories in the series under Nick Saban between 2007 and 2021, the Crimson Tide's annual rivalry with Tennessee began to lose some of its luster. The Volunteers were routinely non-competitive in the game known historically as the "Third Saturday in October," and the matchup waned in its national significance.

But when the Volunteers knocked off Saban and the Tide in a top-10 battle in 2022, it rejuvenated the historic series, which will be renewed again Saturday in a high-stakes situation. No. 11 Tennessee has won two of the past three in the rivalry, but the Volunteers haven't won inside Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2003.

No. 6 Alabama will be looking to extend its home winning streak over the Volunteers to 11 games and to stay among the dwindling group of teams that are unbeaten in SEC play. The Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) have rattled off five straight wins since a Week 1 loss at Florida State but have yet to face an offense quite this electric.

Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) ranks No. 4 nationally in total offense at 527.8 yards per game and has scored 30-plus points in its first six games for just the second time in program history. The Third Saturday in October officially has its significance back as these schools meet as top-15 foes for the third time in the past four seasons.

This game is a battle between two top-15 teams and two top-15 quarterbacks. Alabama's Ty Simpson is No. 1 in the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings for the second straight week. Tennessee's Joey Aguilar is No. 14. Here is the full 1-50 breakdown of where the sport's QBs stood entering Week 8 action.

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David Cobb

This game is a battle between two top-15 teams and two top-15 quarterbacks. Alabama's Ty Simpson is No. 1 in the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings for the second straight week. Tennessee's Joey Aguilar is No. 14. Here is the full 1-50 breakdown of where the sport's QBs stand entering Week 8 action.

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Alabama put five players on the CBS Sports list of college football's top 150 players at midseason. Tennessee had four. It's no surprise that Alabama's Ty Simpson is the first quarterback listed. See who else made the rankings and where they landed in the full 150 from Blake Brockermeyer.

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This game is a battle between two of the best passers not only in the SEC but nationally. Tennessee's Joey Aguilar leads the league in passing yards at 1,680 with Alabama's Ty Simpson just behind him at 1,678. Simpson leads the conference in touchdown passes with 16 with Aguilar in second at 14. Both will also take, and hit, their share of intermediate and downfield shots. Where Simpson has a bit of separation is that he's been intercepted only once this season, whereas Aguilar has been picked off five times.

Part of what has made Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson so impressive during the season's first half is that he's regularly been under pressure. Alabama is 91st nationally in sacks allowed after giving up four sacks in each of its last two games. The Crimson Tide have allowed pressure on 29.3% of dropbacks, which ranks 61st nationally. Tennessee's defense isn't a juggernaut like last season, but the Vols do get after opposing quarterbacks. They rank No. 2 nationally in sacks with 26. Protecting Simpson will be a challenge for Bama.

Tennessee ranks No. 17 nationally in turnovers gained with 11, but the Crimson Tide have coughed up the football only twice this season. If Alabama doesn't give the ball away, it will force the Tennessee defense to come up with stops against an Alabama offense that converts on better than 50% of its third downs. The Crimson Tide rank No. 7 nationally in time of possession, whereas the Volunteers are No. 124 in the same category. Bama has done a masterful job of bleeding the clock and wearing opponents down during its 3-0 start to league play. Tennessee's up-tempo offensive style could play right into the hands of the Crimson Tide.

Alabama's Kalen DeBoer and Tennessee's Josh Heupel are two of the best offensive minds in the head coaching ranks, and they each have high-caliber quarterbacks. But the Crimson Tide have chosen to play a clock-bleeding style so far during conference action, which has depressed the amount of scoring in Bama games. Tennessee likes to go fast, but the Volunteers may have to slow things down to get their defense some rest. If not, Bama could dominate time of possession and slowly wear the Volunteers down. Barring an unforeseen spat of turnovers from a sure-handed Alabama team, this game could have fewer possessions -- and fewer points -- than you might think.  Pick: Under 58.5