Notebook: Alabama Football Makes SEC History in Win Over Tennessee

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 6 Alabama defeated No. 11 Tennessee 37-20 on Saturday night.

The Crimson Tide made a bit of history in the 2025 edition of the Third Saturday in October, as not only did Alabama become just the fourth team in SEC history to defeat four consecutive ranked opponents, but head coach Kalen DeBoer and company are the first-ever program in the conference to accomplish this feat without any open dates.

In other words, Alabama, which clinched bowl eligibility for the 22nd consecutive season following the victory, took down then-No. 5 Georgia and then-No. 14 Missouri on the road, plus then-No. 16 Vanderbilt and current No. 11 Tennessee in each of the last four weeks.

There were numerous ways that Alabama set this record. Here are three of them.

Yhonzae Pierre Breaks Out

When the alpha wolf leaves a pack, it is often difficult for a new leader to emerge.

Alabama wolf linebackers Qua Russaw and Jah-Marien Latham will be away from the Crimson Tide's field for a while. Russaw broke his foot against Georgia and will miss an extended period of time, while Latham is out for the season following a neck injury he sustained during a practice from a couple of weeks ago.

With Russaw and Latham out, redshirt sophomore Yhonzae Pierre has been next in line to be the alpha Wolf linebacker. He's grown every game this season, and he broke out on Saturday against the Vols. Pierre had six total tackles, including 2.5 for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

For reference, Pierre came into the night with just one career sack. He has fully adapted to his increased role, and he'll hold onto it for a while.

"He's been right there," DeBoer said. "I'm really pleased with the last couple of weeks what he's done. He played a lot of snaps last week. I don't know what his number was today, but just with the depth chart there and the guys that are out, we're asking more out of him and he's rising to the occasion.

"He's worked hard in practice. He's built his stamina up more to where he can compete for four quarters now and that's just really cool to see. It's really him understanding that any play I can go win one-on-one and making sure he's lined up and does his assignment and just strains from start to finish each and every play."

The Bright Light in Dark Run Game

Miller was injured on a fourth-down conversion with 10:23 to go in regulation against Missouri, but he never returned after going into concussion protocol. This was the second setback for Miller this season, as he sustained a collarbone injury during a practice two weeks before Week 1, and it sidelined him for the first three games of the season before his return against Georgia.

Redshirt freshman Kevin Riley was the lead back in Miller's absence with sophomore Daniel Hill and Richard Young also getting involved. Miller was able to clear protocol and play against Tennessee on Saturday, but he logged just 15 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries (1.6 yards per rush). Riley and Hill were the only running backs to record carries, and while Riley finished in the negatives, Hill had 34 yards and a score on seven carries (4.9 yards per rush).

"Daniel [Hill] I think had the hot hand in the second half for sure and was really great to see him do his thing, felt very confident about him inside and outside," DeBoer said. "The touchdown, you can see him open up more and more. He's getting healthier here and so it was really good to see him out there picking it up for us.

"More room for improvement. I think being committed to it, being committed to the run has helped us be able to still get our opportunities throwing the ball down the field, but we need to continue to be better in that area as we go through the season to accomplish the things we want to accomplish."

Alabama Wide Receivers Display Versatility

As previously stated, it was not a night for the Alabama running backs, besides Daniel Hill. And while this position group struggled to run the ball, the same can't exactly be said for the wide receivers. Yes, you read correctly, the wide receivers acted as running backs on a handful of snaps.

Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Williams took one carry for a 16-yard gain on Alabama's first possession. He was limited during last week's win over Missouri with an injury, as he recorded zero receptions and zero total yards. However, in addition to the explosive rush, Williams also had a 31-yard reception on the first drive and he finished the game with 87 receiving yards on five catches.

Senior wide receiver Germie Bernard also acted as a running back against the Vols, as he logged four carries for 49 yards, including a long of 18. It's worth mentioning that Bernard matched his total number of carries from last season on Saturday night alone. On top of his performance on the ground, Bernard also had five receptions for 60 yards, including a long of 28.

TideBits

Former Alabama quarterback Jake Coker and linebacker Reggie Ragland were the honorary captains. They were a part of Saturday night's 2015 National Championship team celebration. NCAA Track national champions Doris Lemngole & Samuel Ogazi were also celebrated on the field.

The win moves Kalen DeBoer to 11-0 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. It's the longest home win streak for an Alabama coach to begin their tenure since Xen Scott won 17 in a row from 1919-1921.

Kickoff temperature was 82 degrees and cloudy with winds going 10 miles per hour northwest.

Announced attendance was 100,077

Alabama Captains: quarterback Ty Simpson, center Parker Brailsford, defensive tackle Tim Keenan III and linebacker Deontae Lawson

Officials:

Referee: Jeff Heaser
Umpire: Michael Moten
Referee: Jeff Heaser
Head Linesman: Chad Green
Line Judge: Adam Loudin
Back Judge: Tom Fimmen
Field Judge: John Wisnewski
Side Judge: Glen Fucik
Center Judge: Joel Moenkhoff
Replay Official: John Allmond

Yhonzae Pierre Breaks Out

The Bright Light in Dark Run Game

Alabama Wide Receivers Display Versatility

TideBits

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