Game Balls: No.6 Tennessee-No.3 Alabama

Tennessee outlasted No.3 Alabama on Saturday evening in a 52-49 thriller that came down to the leg of Chase McGrath in the end. Following the win, as always, the Volunteer Country on SI staff gives their game balls.

Offense

Hendon Hooker is squarely in the Heisman mix, and his statline from tonight was arguably the best of his career with over 400 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. But, the game ball goes to his favorite target Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt tied, broke, then shattered the school record for single-game touchdown receptions with five. His last one was the biggest catch a Vol has made since Jauan Jennings ripped down Dobbs heave in Athens. In a game where Tennessee's opponent's roster was littered with eventual first-round talent, Hyatt stole the show. He caught six passes for 205 yards and five touchdowns.

Defense

The stat sheet doesn't necessarily reflect it, but I felt Jeremy Banks had his best game as a Vol tonight, and that is saying something. Banks played extremely well early. He spied Bryce Young at times, and he shut down Jahmyr Gibbs early on. Banks had four quarterback hurries on the night and six total tackles. Overall, he was very productive and assignment-sound.

Special Teams

Talk about redemption. McGrath missed an extra point that would eventually cause the Vols to trail in what should have been a tie game, but he made up for it when it mattered. McGrath double-clutched and managed to push the game-winning field goal across from 40 yards out. McGrath will now live in Tennessee history, and the missed PAT will likely not be recalled very often.