'It Can't Happen Again:' Alabama Defense Reflects on Missed Tackles vs. Tennessee

Alabama missed a season-high 23 tackles against the Volunteers.

Oct 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers tight end DaSaahn Brame (7) runs against Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Caleb Woodson (7) during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama's defense set a new season-high on Saturday.

It wasn't a good one.

The Crimson Tide missed 23 tackles in the team's 26-10 loss to Tennessee in what was the sloppiest performance Kane Wommack's unit has had this year.

"It's not like an effort, not like a scheme thing, it's just execute," linebacker Caleb Woodson said. "When you have the chance to make a tackle, you've got to make a tackle."

Tennessee utilized the quick game, leaning on the run and short passes to capitalize on soft coverage from Alabama. Alabama needed to make one-on-one plays in the open field, and was unable to consistently do so.

“That was Georgia's plan; that was Tennessee's plan,” Wommack said. “And so the ball was gonna come out; you were gonna get opportunities on third down to affect the quarterback. But they had certainly had him very well coached up to get the ball out of his hands even when we did create some pressure.”

Tennessee was especially lethal on screens in the win as Alabama simply failed to bring players down.

"Certainly, there's plenty of plays that we tackled really well," Wommack said. "And then there's obviously some plays that we did not tackle well enough, particularly on the perimeter screen game."

Alabama's previous high was 15 missed tackles against South Carolina. The execution that Woodson referenced has been the theme in practice this week, as the unit looks to right the ship.

"We just got to work on those little details, like putting a body on a body and gathering our feet," safety Ivan Taylor said. "So just little things like that."

With the Crimson Tide's backs against the wall, there is no room for a repeat of Saturday's performance. The defense was supposed to be a juggernaut, and has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but cannot afford that level of sloppiness to show up on the field.

It starts this week against a Texas A&M team that will also look to the quick game for success. If the defense is able to finish plays, it has the potential to shut down an Aggie offense that has struggled mightily through the first half of the season.

"We know it can't happen again," Taylor said. "We've just got to go win it all."

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