This time there was no comeback. After rallying from double digit deficits five times this season, Tennessee finally ran out of gas Saturday in a 49-10 blowout loss against no. 1 Alabama.
This wasn't the same Vols team that posted dramatic comeback wins against Florida and Georgia and rallied from 21 down before falling to Texas A&M in double overtime last week. Six starters were sidelined by injuries and a seventh, Danny O'Brian, was kicked off the team this week for a violation of team rules.
Alabama took advantage, displaying its superior depth in all three phases. Ronnie Harrison's 58 yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter gave the Crimson Tide a non-offensive touchdown for a ninth straight game dating back to last season. And Ronnie Harrison's 79-yard punt return touchdown to start the fourth quarter put the final nails in the coffin of the largest blowout in this series since 1906.
"It takes time to build a program and not just a team," Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said after his program's 10th straight defeat to its SEC West rival. "Not many teams could overcome the amount of productivity that wasn't there. But that's not an excuse."
Most frustrating for Tennessee was the fact it was badly outplayed in the trenches. The Vols pride themselves on their rushing attack and being able to stop the run on defense, yet Saturday Alabama outgained them 438-32 on the ground.
Jalen Hurts led the charge, rushing for 132 yards and three touchdowns as the Vols failed to keep contain on the freshman quarterback's dual threat abilities.
"He's a dynamic quarterback who can hurt you with his ability to run and pass," Tennessee safety Rashaan Gaulden said. "He exploited us today with his ability to get to the edge."
This was a mismatch.
Alabama looked every bit the part of the program that's won four of the last seven national championships. Tennessee looked like a team in desperate need of a bye week to get healthy and re-focus.
The Vols hope to get several of their missing starters back in the next couple of weeks. They can also spend time giving reps to young players that are being asked to step up because of all the injuries. For a team that's spent all season scraping and clawing to survive, this can be a time to grow.
"We've got to get better," Jones said. "We will regroup. We have a lot of meaningful football games left to play."
Consecutive losses drops Tennessee behind Florida in the SEC East standings, but with a win over the Gators under its belt UT still has a great chance to win the SEC East if it can win out.
If the Vols do that, they'll likely meet Alabama again in the SEC Championship. And as bad as Saturday's loss was, that meeting in Atlanta in December will be the game people remember from this season.
