Upon Further Review: No. 6 Alabama 37, No. 11 Tennessee 20

Alabama football nabbed its sixth straight win this past Saturday night, beating rival Tennessee 37-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium for its fourth straight victory over a ranked team (becoming the first SEC squad to ever do that without a bye week in the process).

"Gutty win against a very good team. Well-coached, and they constantly put pressure on you," Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer said postgame. "It wasn't perfect... But our guys did a nice job of continuing to fight just like we have been."

The victory was only Alabama's second in the past four rivalry meetings against the Volunteers, but Tennessee was once again left waiting on its first triumphant outcome in Tuscaloosa since 2003. The Crimson Tide (6-1, 4-0 SEC) moved up to No. 4 in the AP Top 25. The Volunteers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) dropped to No. 17.

Player of the Game: Wolf linebacker Yhonzae Pierre has had to step up after long-term injuries to both Jah-Marien Latham and Qua Russaw. The redshirt sophomore has done more than simply fill a void. He's become a player opposing offenses can only afford to miss at their own immense peril. On Saturday night, Pierre had six total tackles and was credited with 2.5 sacks, one of which resulted in a safety that gave Alabama a lead it would never relinquish.

Play of the Game: There is no doubt about which play in this contest was the most impactful. With nine seconds remaining in the first half, Tennessee ran a play-action that resulted in quarterback Joey Aguilar's pass being intercepted by sophomore Crimson Tide cornerback Zabien Brown. Apart from the turnover itself, what made that play so remarkable? That query is answered by the fact that the Volunteers were on the one-yard line, and Brown ran the interception back for a 99-yard touchdown to make the halftime score 23-7 Alabama.

Stat of the Game: At no point after the second quarter was this season's Third Saturday in October a one-possession game. The visitors never led, and a Jam Miller touchdown with just over four minutes to go in the first half brought the score to 16-7. Brown's colossal interception return created even more separation, and 10 points was the slimmest margin by which the Crimson Tide led during the game's second half.

10 things you may not have noticed...

1. Zabien Brown's interception wasn't his only impact on the stat sheet.

Brown co-led the Alabama team with seven tackles in addition to his long touchdown on the interception. It was a game to remember for the sophomore, who's already had his share of memorable moments on Saban Field in his young career.

2. It wasn't easy, but Ryan Williams recorded catches on all of his targets.

Ty Simpson passed for 253 yards against Tennessee. Sophomore Ryan Williams led the receiving group with 87 of those yards, making more than one difficult catch in the process. He didn't reach paydirt, but Williams had a long of 31 yards and caught all five of his targets, without so much as a single drop.

3. Tennessee's DeSean Bishop averaged more yards per carry than all of Alabama's tailbacks combined.

Volunteers running back DeSean Bishop had 123 rush yards on 14 attempts, good for an average of 8.8 yards per carry. Adding the averages of the three running backs Alabama used in the game provides a yield of 5.5 (Kevin Riley had -2 yards on three carries). Bishop also had two touchdowns.

4. Alabama sacked Joey Aguilar four times. That's the most he's taken in a single game all season.

Before facing Alabama, Aguilar had only been sacked multiple times in a game once, when Mississippi State notched two against him. The Crimson Tide doubled that total, though Aguilar has still not taken more than one sack in a home game.

5. Germie Bernard didn't score again, but he was crucial in one third-quarter touchdown drive.

Redshirt freshman Rico Scott scored for the first time since the season opener in the third quarter against the Volunteers. However, senior Germie Bernard (who was held scoreless in the game) amassed 35 rush yards on the nine-play, 99-yard drive that resulted in Scott's 11-yard touchdown reception. Bernard was one of the most important playmakers on a drive that gave his team a 17-point lead.

6. Nikhai Hill-Green continues to contribute on the defensive side. He appears to be coming into his own.

Zabien Brown and Nikhai Hill-Green. — Tennessee running back Peyton Lewis (2) is stopped by Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown (2) and linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green (41) during a college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 18, 2025. | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Through two SEC games this fall, Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green only got three total tackles under his belt. In the ensuing two, Hill-Green stepped up his play dramatically. He had six tackles against the Volunteers and is up to 13 in Alabama's past two SEC matchups.

7. Isaiah Horton is now tied at the top of Alabama's receiving touchdowns leaderboard.

Bernard has five receiving touchdowns in the 2025 season, but has now gone two straight weeks without adding another one (or more) to that total. By catching the first touchdown pass of Saturday's game, Horton earned his fifth touchdown catch of the year. He was expected to make an impact upon his transfer from Miami (Fla.), and has done so in more ways than scoring, but his propensity for finding the end zone in big games cannot be discounted.

8. Sophomore RB Daniel Hill's performance represented a career high in rushing yards for a game.

Daniel Hill has been seen more regularly as of late, with the coaching staff attributing that to the sophomore getting healthier than he was at the start of the regular season. The 34 yards he ran for when facing Tennessee were a career best, and he added a touchdown to go with that. Hill had 29 yards in the 2024 season opener against Western Kentucky; that was his single-game high before Saturday, and he also scored a touchdown in that contest.

9. Safety Bray Hubbard tied his season high in solo tackles.

Alabama safety Bray Hubbard. — Bray Hubbard (18). | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

Bray Hubbard equaled Brown with seven total tackles, joining defensive lineman James Smith among players who reached that number against the Volunteers. Hubbard led that group with five solo tackles; it is tied for his season-best number in that category, which he accomplished at Georgia on Sept. 27. Brown and Smith combined for five solo tackles in the Tennessee game.

10. Despite Hill's night, and even with Jam Miller, Alabama's running backs continued a tough yardage trend.

The stable of Crimson Tide running backs minus Jam Miller, who cleared concussion protocol in time to play Saturday, has yet to put its stamp on a game. Hill helped, but once again, the backs didn't rush for 100 yards or more between them. Even with Miller, three different running backs combined for just 47 yards. Alabama has only reached the 100-yard mark in a Power Four game twice this season, and both times were with Miller on the field, but he had just 15 rushing yards against Tennessee.