Tennesse "Volunteers" a Nail Biter For Alabama

Alabama (7-0, 4-0) came into Saturday's match up against conference opponent Tennessee(3-3, 1-2) number one in the nation,  favored and undefeated. For those of you who thought that 'Bama would "roll" over the Vols, think again.

Alabama took care of the Virginia Tech Hoakies in Week One, an impressive and entertaining start for the Crimson Tide. Alabama pulled away late, and the Hoakies dropped their season opener, as the Tide came-a-rollin' in, 34-24. The Tide have "rolled" through their schedule with relative ease thus far, but Tennesse was on a mission to give 'em all they could handle.

The Volunteers came fresh off a shalacking of the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 10th, winning in convincing fashion by a score of 45-19. A blow out over a competitive conference opponent is always a confidence booster, and the Vols looked to put their "swagger" to use against the top ranked Crimson Tide.

Although the pairing between Alabama and Tennessee was a low scoring affair, it mirrored the Florida/Arkansas game in many ways. Florida struggled against the Razorbacks, but both teams were able to get the wheels turning offensively. The game ended 23 - 20 in favor of the Gators, keeping them undefeated. Florida and Alabama are likely to meet up in the SEC Championship game, the winner will receive their invitation to the BCS National Championship game this January.

Alabama's offense looked to be on track in the early goings of the first half, utilizing the "Wildcat" look to their advantage. Mark Ingram took snaps directly, and rushed for 72 yards in the first half on 12 carries.

The Crimson Tide quarterback, Greg McElroy was uncharacteristically rattled early against a surging Volunteer defense. McElroy consistently over-threw and under-threw receivers, and was just plainly inaccurate. The same could be said for Tennessee quarterback, Johnathon Crompton, who just couldn't get on the same page as his receivers, and visa versa.

Both offenses were plagued throughout the game with those ever pesky three and outs, consequently killing their progress. Dan Williams came up big with timely stops on 3rd down running situations, leaving Alabama finding themselves in punting situations more often than not. The "play action" play calling was spotty at best, but it moved the chains for the Volunteers, who failed to capitalize on a crucial 33 yard completion (Crompton to Moore) in the early moments of the 4th quarter. The inability to cash in when needed, especially against a team like 'Bama, can easily cost you the game.

Tennesse put forth some of that energy that allowed them to handle the Georgia Bulldogs with no problem, to score in the last two minutes of the 4th quarter. Subsequently, we got us a game, folks. The gutsy (but obvious) choice to execute on an onside kick worked in the favor of Tennesse, and Denarius Moore came up with another huge play for the Vols. That put Tennessee in the driver's seat to upset the number one team in the nation, and the weight of the world on Vol kicker, Daniel Lincoln.

With four seconds left, and what must've seemed like a mile to the uprights (44 yards), Lincoln's kicked was blocked, saving the Tide's perfect season. This truly was a nail biter, as the Tide dodged a MAJOR bullet.