No. 2 Alabama Beats Tennessee as Jaylen Waddle Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Coming into Saturday, it had been 5,117 days since Tennessee beat Alabama.

You can add another 365 days to that total.

Mac Jones threw for 387 yards and rushed for a touchdown, and Najee Harris added three touchdowns on the ground, leading No. 2 Alabama to a 48-17 win over Tennessee on Saturday.

Jones continued adding to his Heisman Trophy resume, completing 25 of 31 passes despite the loss of Jaylen Waddle for the season with a broken ankle. Waddle was injured on the opening kickoff when a Tennessee player rolled on his ankle making a tackle. 

The Volunteers have lost three straight games since opening their season with wins over South Carolina and Missouri.

Notable Stats

Alabama

QB Mac Jones: 25-of-31, 387 yards, 5 carries, 4 yards, 1 TD
RB Najee Harris: 20 carries, 96 yards, 3 TDs, 6 receptions, 61 yards
WR John Metchie III: 7 receptions, 151 yards
WR DeVonta Smith: 7 receptions, 73 yards

Tennessee

QB Jarrett Guarantano: 13-of-24, 162 yards, 2 TD
WR Jalin Hyatt: 2 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD

Mac Jones, Alabama Face Test Without Waddle

So much for Alabama's offense competing with 2019 LSU for the most explosive in recent history. 

Waddle will miss the rest of the season after going down on the game's opening kickoff when a defender's weight came down on his ankle, rolling it in an awkward position. He was then carted off the field and taken via ambulance to a local hospital.

Alabama didn't have much issue adjusting Saturday. Metchie and Slade Bolden stepped up to make plays down the field, and Najee Harris had by far the best receiving day of his season.

That said, the margin for error was high against Tennessee. The Tide and Vols looked like they were playing two different sports for most of the game; Alabama had more than enough still on the field to keep the talent disparity jarring.

Nick Saban's teams do not worry about beating the likes of Tennessee. Waddle's absence will be more obvious against LSU and Auburn, who are having down seasons but still pose tests regardless of the records going into the game.

Even if the Tide get through the rest of the regular season undefeated—and they should, given they have no ranked opponents remaining—the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff will present tests for the Waddle-less receiving corps.

Saban, the most defensive-minded coach in college football, acknowledges the Tide offense leads their charge now. Losing their best offensive weapon is going to present a major challenge to their title hopes.

Jeremy Pruitt's Seat May Start Warming Soon

A 2-0 start had the state of Tennessee screaming Rocky Top's back. Three straight losses, and the Vols look like they'll be scraping by to even reach .500 again this season. Their only two remaining home games are against Top 10 opponents (Texas A&M, Florida), with road tilts against Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt.

Tennessee will probably be favored against Arkansas and Vanderbilt, but Vandy is probably the only near-lock win remaining on the Vols' schedule.

Pruitt probably bought himself some time with last year's 8-5 mark, so good money is on him sticking around for the 2021 season. That said, a 4-6 or 3-7 finish in a conference-only season will be a stark reminder of how far this team is away from competing for a championship.

Pruitt's not quite on the hot seat yet, but he's headed there.

What's Next?

Alabama hosts Mississippi State, while Tennessee travels to Arkansas.