By Jimmy Hyams

Tennessee had moments Saturday against the top-ranked team in the country in which it came oh-so-close.

But the victory cigars were once again smoked in the Alabama locker room.

In a game that featured injured starting quarterbacks, end zone turnovers and atrocious officiating, No. 1 Alabama (7-0) survived 35-13 against a gallant Tennessee team (2-5).

The Crimson Tide didn’t put the game away until Trevon Diggs returned a Jarrett Guarantano fumble 100 yards for a touchdown with 7:21 left to account for the final score.

A Tennessee touchdown would have cut the margin to 28-20.

Instead, Alabama continued several impressive streaks: 13 wins in a row over UT, 30 wins in a row at home, 88 wins in a row over an unranked opponent and a 19-0 mark against Nick Saban’s former assistants.

The play that turned the Tide against Tennessee was the Guarantano fumble from the one-foot line.

If not for a terrible spot three plays earlier, the Vols might have already scored.

Lined up in the wildcat at the 2-yard line, running back Tim Jordan was stuffed at the 2. Yet, the officials inexplicably placed the ball at the 3. Jordan ran for a yard and Quavaris Crouch powered to the six-inch line.

Crouch would have scored if not for the ref’s earlier miscue.

Then came another egregious error. Guarantano tried to dive over the top on a fourth-and-inches quarterback sneak. He didn’t have a chance. The ball popped out, rolled into the end zone and Diggs took it the distance.

A furious UT coach Jeremy Pruitt chewed out Guarantano, briefly grabbed him by the face mask, then benched the redshirt junior.

ESPN announcers said UT had called a run play and noted that left guard Trey Smith pulled to make a kick-out block, as if the run was called to the left side.

Pruitt wasn’t clear on exactly what happened.

Asked if a sneak was the call, Pruitt said: “We didn’t have a call. I don’t know why we went fast to the line of scrimmage … There was no reason to rush.’’

So UT didn’t even call a play? Guarantano took it on his own to run a sneak? Really?

That’s hard to believe. But if true, no wonder Pruitt was so ticked.

Few thought UT would even be in position to scare Alabama late in the game. The Vols were a 35-point underdog and showed no signs of competing against an elite team.

Beating an average Mississippi State is one thing.

Taking on the Mighty Tide is another.

Tennessee started out reasonably well as quarterback Brian Maurer, who suffered a concussion the week before, was cleared to play and scored on a sneak to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter. The score was set up by Nigel Warrior’s 59-yard interception return of a Tua Tagovailoa errant throw.

“I just remember the tight end running across the field and (cornerback) Bryce (Thompson) took him,’’ Warrior said. “Tua threw it right to me. I started running out of gas (on the return).’’

Maurer was knocked out of the game late in the first quarter when his head banged into the knee of offensive lineman Darnell Wright. A targeting call against Alabama was reversed when replays showed Shane Lee shoved Maurer and didn’t make helmet-to-helmet contact.

On the drive in which Maurer exited, the Vols drove for a field goal to cut Alabama’s lead to 14-10.

After Bama went ahead 21-10, Tagovailoa was sacked by Greg Emerson and suffered what Saban called a high ankle sprain that will cause the QB to miss a game or two.

Tua’s absence dramatically altered Alabama’s offense. The Tide went from a pass-first philosophy to being run oriented. Najee Harris had 105 yards on 21 carries and the Tide had just 78 passing yards after Tua (11 of 12 for 155 yards) left. The Tide was averaging 336 passing yards a game but settled for 233 against the Vols.

Tennessee held Alabama to 373 total yards – 163 below it’s average – and 28 points – 23 below its average. But the Vols managed just 231 yards and shot themselves in the foot when approaching the end zone.

A Jauan Jennings touchdown run was nullified due to holding. A pass play at the Bama 10 drew three flags. Jordan surprised Bama in the wildcat but officials stopped the play for no apparent reason, allowing Bama to set up its defense, drawing the ire of Pruitt. And Bama ran a pass play in one second toward the end of the first half before attempting a field goal.

Tennessee was assessed 13 penalties in all.

“Anytime you play Alabama, you can’t do anything like that,’’ Pruitt said. “Every time we got close to the end zone, officials started throwing flags. if we’re guilty of it, we ought not do it. If we’re not guilty, then they need to quit throwing flags.’’

Pruitt has a point. The officials made so many questionable calls, they opened the door to conspiracy theorists who believe refs favor the Tide.

A call that hurt UT greatly came early in the third quarter. Down 21-13, UT’s defense forced its second three-and-out. But linebacker Darrell Taylor was called for roughing the passer when he lightly pushed quarterback Mac Jones – whom Taylor had knocked to the ground — after an incompletion. Taylor was on top of Jones when the shove occurred.

Pruitt said the defeat was a “little bit frustrating. Our kids played hard, really hard. We played together. But you can’t make critical errors.’’

Tennessee made too many to beat Alabama, but Pruitt saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

“We only had 63 healthy guys on the trip,’’ Pruitt said. “We have 71 on scholarship. In one more year, we’ll have 85.

“I look forward to playing these guys (Alabama) with 85.’’

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By Jimmy Hyams

It’s the Third Saturday in October, and that usually means Tennessee v. Alabama.

While the game is set for Saturday, it won’t end until Sunday morning since kickoff is at 9 pm ET. Tennessee’s hope is that a lot of fans are still watching after midnight. That means the Vols, a 35-point underdog, have kept the game relatively close.

That hasn’t been the case lately. Alabama has won 12 in a row against UT, with 10 by at least two touchdowns and eight by at least 20 points.

Alabama is so dominant, Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt joked this week that he might employ the game plan of an Arkansas high school which never punts and always onside kicks.

Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Vols didn’t look desperate last Saturday in upsetting touchdown- favorite Mississippi State 20-10 behind a defense that recorded 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks and three interceptions. The Vols held the SEC’s leading rusher, Kylin Hill, to just 13 yards on 11 carries.

While UT lost starting quarterback Brian Maurer to a concussion in the second quarter, Jarrett Guarantano did well in relief, completing 6 of 7 passes for 106 yards and tossing a game-winning TD pass to senior Tyler Byrd with 2:35 left in the game. It was the first time in his career that Byrd led the Vols in receiving yards.

The win was UT’s first against an FBS team in 11 months and renewed hope of making a bowl game as five of the remaining six contests are considered winnable.

The one that’s not: Alabama. Nick Saban’s team is ranked No. 1 and hasn’t lost to an unranked team in 87 games. Alabama has won 29 in a row at home and 44 of 45. Under Saban, Alabama is 70-8 when ranked No. 1 and 139-19 at home.

Alabama has an explosive offense, led by QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has 27 TD passes and one pick while completing 73.6% of his passes. The Tide has an array of NFL-caliber receivers led by Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. Bama is second in the nation in scoring, averaging 51 points and 536.8 total yards per game, 336 passing.

That’s a departure from Saban’s early years when the Tide relied on a strong run game. Bama is averaging just 170.8 rush yards per game but Saban said its more about having an effective run game, not the yards per game average. Alabama is averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Saban also pointed out that some teams have higher rushing totals because of running quarterbacks.

Alabama’s offensive numbers dwarf UT, which is averaging 23 points, 353.5 total yards per game, 146.3 on the ground. UT might start Guarantano at QB, Pruitt said playing Maurer will be a game-time decision. UT expects offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson to play after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. If so, that could be UT’s sixth offensive line combination in seven games.

Alabama’s defense isn’t as stout as usually as the Tide allows 17 points per game and 336 total yards. But the Tide starts four true freshmen on defense due to injuries and has outscored opponents by 192 points in the first three quarters. Bama has a 47-35 edge in the 4^th quarter, when games are usually already decided.

It’s worth noting that in the last 65 games, Alabama has forced a turnover in 60 and scored 22 defensive touchdowns. And this season, Alabama has a plus-8 turnover margin.

Here are a few other notes about the game:

*Saban is 12-0 against his former assistants, 1-0 against Pruitt, who took over at UT last year.

*Pruitt said Alabama’s offense is “super, maybe one of the best offenses in the history of college football.’’

*Pruitt singled out center Brandon Kennedy as having played well in recent games. Kennedy, a grad transfer from Alabama, was oft-injured at Bama. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL after the opener last year and hasn’t played much football in  his college career. But he’s progressed well due to a chance to play.

*Pruitt said Alabama is very aggressive in the RPO (run-pass option) game and Tagovailoa is very accurate throwing slants and go routes. “They’re probably better than anybody in the country in the RPO game,’’ Pruitt said.

*Pruitt said the key to stopping Alabama’s RPO game is “winning some one-on-one battles. I haven’t seen a team that can guard them. If you can, that’s the answer, but I haven’t seen a team that could do that.’’

*While many people focus on Alabama’s offense, Pruitt thinks the Tide is outstanding on defense, naming several defensive backs and linebackers along with a few defensive linemen. “Alabama’s front is as good as anybody’s,’’ Pruitt said.

*Pruitt on playing at No. 1 Alabama: “It’s a heckuva challenge for us. We’re looking forward to it. It’s exciting for our kids … to compete in Bryant-Denny Stadium against one of the best teams in the country.’’

*Saban said Pruitt has done a “really good job’’ and that the Vols play with a lot of “discipline, toughness and play hard.’’ Saban: `We need to respect that.’

*Alabama has had some games with 10-plus penalties and Saban said that is due to a “lack of discipline.’’ Saban said he’s told the team “you can’t do what you feel like doing. Do what’s right.’’

*Saban said he is pleased with the progress made by four true freshman who have started on defense but he’s “not satisfied with the way we’re playing.’’ Bama is giving up 336 yards per game and 17 points per game.

*Saban said former UT coach Butch Jones has done a “really, really good job’’ as an offensive analyst, watching film and suggesting what Bama could do better on offense. “He’s a great person to have in our organization,’’ said Saban. Jones is in his second year at Bama.

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