TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Oct. 19, 2024 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Neyland Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 11/10 Tennessee 24, No. 7/7 Alabama 17
General Notes
- Saturday’s attendance at Neyland Stadium: 101,915 (sold out)
- The contest marked Tennessee’s 17th consecutive sellout in Neyland Stadium.
- Tennessee’s all-time on-field record improved to 882-415-53 with Saturday’s win (NCAA record: 871-415-53).
- Saturday marked the 107th meeting between Tennessee and Alabama. Billed the Third Saturday in October since 1939, the two sides met as top-20 teams for the 22nd time.
- Tennessee has earned back-to-back home wins against Alabama for the first time since 2004-06. Combining with Saturday’s victory, the Vols last defeated the Crimson Tide in Knoxville, 52-49, on Oct. 15, 2022.
- Tennessee’s back-to-back wins over Alabama in Neyland Stadium represent the first time Alabama has lost consecutive games in the same stadium (regular season only) since falling to Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2005 and 2007.
- The Vols have put up at least 20 points in Josh Heupel‘s first four meetings vs. the Tide. It’s the first time UT put up at least 20 in four straight meetings since 1995-2001.
- Tennessee owns a 22-4 record in Neyland Stadium under Heupel and has won 17 of its last 18 games in the venue.
- With Saturday’s victory, Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) secured bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive season under Heupel. It’s the longest streak of bowl-eligible seasons for the program since making 16 straight bowl appearances from 1989-2004.
- Heupel is now 11-8 against AP top-25 teams in his Tennessee tenure, including 10-4 over the last three seasons and 3-0 in 2024.
- Heupel now owns four top-10 victories in his career, all in the last three seasons at the helm of the Volunteers.
- Tennessee became the first team to defeat Alabama with 24 or fewer points in over a decade. The last time it happened was on Oct. 4, 2014, when No. 11 Ole Miss logged a 23-17 decision in Oxford, Miss.
- The Volunteers held Alabama to its lowest point total since Sept. 16, 2023, when the Crimson Tide won, 17-3, at South Florida.
- The last time Alabama scored 17 points or fewer in a loss was the 2018 national championship game, a 44-16 setback against Clemson on Jan. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif. The Crimson Tide last scored 17 points or fewer in a regular season loss on Nov. 25, 2017, when it fell, 26-14, at Auburn.
- Each of Alabama’s last two regular season regulation losses to a ranked SEC team are against Tennessee, as this decision joins the one on Oct. 15, 2022, when the Volunteers were sixth nationally.
- Alabama’s last loss to a ranked SEC team came in overtime on Nov. 5, 2022, at No. 10 LSU, 32-31.
- Tennessee now has two wins over Alabama in the last three seasons. No other team in the country has two victories over the Crimson Tide in the last five seasons (2020-24).
- Over the last three seasons (2022-24), Alabama has as many losses to Tennessee as it does to every other SEC school combined (based off affiliation at the time of the game). It has one loss each to LSU and Vanderbilt.
- Individually, Heupel now has two wins versus Alabama in the last two years. No other coach in the nation has two victories against the Crimson Tide in the last seven seasons (2018-24).
- Tennessee outscored Alabama by 10 points, 17-7, over the final 16 minutes of the contest to turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point win. Last week, the Volunteers outscored Florida by 16 points, 23-7, over the final 18 minutes plus overtime, turning a 10-point deficit into a six-point victory.
Vol Captains/Coin Toss
- Tennessee’s team captains for Saturday’s game: OL Cooper Mays, WR Bru McCoy, LB Keenan Pili, LS Matthew Salansky, DL Omari Thomas.
- Alabama won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Tennessee defended the south end zone.
Team Offensive Notes
- The Vols gained 408 yards on Saturday, eclipsing 300 yards of total offense for the 44th time in 46 games of the Josh Heupel era.
- The Vols have put up 400 yards of total offense in a game 32 times under Heupel.
- Tennessee totaled 214 yards on the ground, toting the ball 43 times for an average of 5.0 yards per carry.
- Excluding the two kneel-downs to end the game, the Vols had 41 carries for 220 yards, 5.4 per attempt.
- Tennessee has produced 200 rushing yards in the Heupel era in 27 games and owns a 25-2 record when doing so, including 19 wins in a row.
Individual Offensive Notes
- Doak Walker candidate Dylan Sampson, a junior RB, punched in a two-yard touchdown with 6:32 left in the third quarter and then a three-yard score with 1:00 to go in the same frame, upping his marks to 17 rushing touchdowns this season and 30 in his career.
- Sampson now has six outings this season with multiple rushing touchdowns after no other Volunteer this century (2000-24) had even five in a single campaign.
- With the two scores, Sampson passed Tony Thompson (16 in 1990) and tied Reggie Cobb (17 in 1987) for the second-most single-season rushing touchdowns in Tennessee history. Only Gene McEver (18 in 1929) has more.
- Additionally, Sampson moved two scores past Stanley Morgan (28 from 1973-76) for sole possession of fourth-place on Tennessee’s career leaderboard.
- The only Tennessee running back with more rushing touchdowns in the last 90 years is James Stewart (35 from 1991-94). The other two players ahead of Sampson are Gene McEver (37 from 1928-31) and quarterback Joshua Dobbs (32 from 2013-16).
- Sampson finished with 26 carries for a career-high-tying 139 yards in the contest, his sixth triple-digit performance of the season and his seventh (in as many games) with over 90.
- Sampson moved into an eight-way tie for the sixth-most single-season 100-yard rushing performances by a Volunteer. This is the second consecutive year a Tennessee player hit that mark, as Jaylen Wright did so in 2023, after none did so the prior seven seasons (2016-22).
- In addition, Sampson moved into a tie for sixth in program with history with 10 100-yard games in his career. The feat was last accomplished by Cedric Houston (2001-04).
- Redshirt senior WR Bru McCoy reeled in a season-high six catches, totaling a game-best 80 yards, his second-highest yardage total in 2024.
- Redshirt sophomore WR Chris Brazzell II notched his first touchdown in SEC play, hauling in a 16-yard pass from redshirt freshman QB Nico Iamaleava to give Tennessee the lead with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter.
- Redshirt freshman QB Nico Iamaleava became the first rookie quarterback – true or redshirt freshman – to defeat Alabama since Auburn’s Bo Nix in 2019.
- Iamaleava is the first Vol freshman to defeat the Tide since Erik Ainge in 2004.
Team Defensive Notes
- Tennessee has held its opponent under 20 points in eight straight games, dating back to the 35-0 shutout win over Iowa in the 2024 Citrus Bowl. It marks the first time UT has accomplished the feat in its first seven games of a season since 1969.
- For the third time this season, Tennessee forced a turnover when its opponent had a goal-to-go situation inside the five-yard-line. Sophomore DB Jermod McCoy intercepted a pass on second-and-goal from the three with 3:54 left in the first quarter.
- The Volunteers previously forced such turnovers Sept. 21 at Oklahoma (forced fumble on first-and-goal from the five with 13:49 left in the second quarter) and Oct. 12 versus Florida (forced fumble on first-and-goal from the one with 3:19 left in the second quarter).
- For the eighth consecutive game, a stretch dating back to the 2023 season finale in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Iowa, Tennessee allowed one or zero scores in the first half (field goal or touchdown).
- In total, the Volunteers have conceded just 16 first-half points in their last eight games (three field goals, one touchdown and one extra point).
- Tennessee limited Alabama to 75 rushing yards on 34 attempts, just 2.2 per carry. The Crimson Tide’s longest rush of the night was 11 yards.
- The Volunteers held Alabama to a 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) mark on third down, as well as a 1-of-2 ledger (50.0 percent) on fourth down.
Individual Defensive Notes
- Facing second-and-goal from the Alabama three-yard line with 3:54 to go in the first quarter, Thorpe Award candidate Jermod McCoy, a sophomore DB, thwarted an eight-play drive when he nabbed his second interception of the season. The pick was returned 54 yards out of the end zone, representing UT’s second INT return of 50-plus yards this season (Will Brooks, 85 vs. NC State on Sept. 7).
- McCoy finished tied with a team-high eight tackles (five solo), including 0.5 TFLs.
- Redshirt senior DB Will Brooks co-led all Volunteers with eight tackles (five solo), two of which saved touchdowns, and added one TFL. He also iced the game with an interception, his second of the season, with 1:24 to play.
- Three Volunteers finished with 1.5 TFLs to tie for the team lead: redshirt senior DL Dominic Bailey, junior DL James Pearce Jr. and redshirt junior DB Jakobe Thomas.
Special Teams Notes
- Redshirt freshman PK Max Gilbert hit a 41-yard field goal 1:30 remaining in the game to make it a seven-point game. He also went 3-of-3 on extra points, moving to a perfect 31-of-31 on the year.
- Redshirt sophomore P Jackson Ross amassed 187 yards on four punts, an average of 46.8 per attempt. He notched a long mark of 49 in the victory.
Career Highs
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
- RB Dylan Sampson
- 139 yards (ties career high)
Defense/Special Teams
- DL Dominic Bailey
- 4 tackles
- 1.5 TFLs
- 1 sack (ties career high)
- DB Will Brooks
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- 1 TFL (ties career high)
- LB Arion Carter
- 1 QBH (ties career high)
- DL Daevin Hobbs
- 1 QBH
- DL Joshua Josephs
- 3 QBH
- DB Jermod McCoy
- 8 tackles
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- 0.5 TFLs (ties career high)
- LB Kalib Perry
- 4 tackles (ties career high)
- 1 TFL
- LB Jeremiah Telander
- 0.5 sack
- DB Jakobe Thomas
- 1.5 TFL
