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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The 2025 Tennessee high school football season continued on Friday, and High School On SI has a list of final scores from the ninth weekend of action.

Tennessee High School Football Schedule & Scores (TSSAA) – October 17, 2025

Adamsville 35, Loretto 7

Alcoa 47, Heritage 0

Anderson County 80, Union County 20

Battle Ground Academy 56, Pope John Paul II 14

Baylor 46, Ambassador Christian 0

Beech 62, Gallatin 29

Blackman 35, Smyrna 7

Bolton 25, Wooddale 0

Brentwood 21, Franklin 14

Cannon County 50, Warren County 27

Carter 41, Austin-East 27

Cherokee 56, David Crockett 28

Clay County 54, Red Boiling Springs 8

Cleveland 28, Bearden 10

Clinton 24, South-Doyle 0

Cloudland 58, North Greene 51

Coalfield 55, Wartburg Central 0

Columbia Academy 70, Nashville Christian 0

Columbia Central 28, Lincoln County 27

Concord Christian 49, South Greene 35

Cookeville 30, Farragut 13

Copper Basin 44, Pickett County 18

Cordova 34, First Assembly Christian 27

Cosby 30, Sunbright 0

Covington 31, Dyersburg 14

Davidson Academy 21, Portland 6

Dyer County 27, University School of Jackson 26

Eagleville 44, Huntland 7

Eagleton College and Career Academy 23, Polk County 13

East Nashville Magnet 41, Hickman County 3

Elizabethton 56, Sullivan East 21

Ezell-Harding Christian 40, Zion Christian Academy 17

Fairview 42, Camden Central 36

Fayetteville 33, Moore County 7

Freedom Cowboys 38, Riverside Christian Academy 15

Friendship Christian 31, Franklin Christian Academy 10

Germantown 22, White Station 12

Gibbs 51, Fulton 7

Giles County 47, Jackson North Side 21

Goodpasture Christian 24, Grace Christian Academy 7

Grace Christian Academy 35, Christian Academy of Knoxville 14

Greenback 48, Oakdale 7

Green Hill 22, Lebanon 15

Greeneville 42, Volunteer 7

Happy Valley 52, West Greene 0

Haywood 42, Memphis Business Academy 40

Hendersonville 37, Station Camp 36

Humboldt 47, Lake County 42

Jackson Central Merry 40, Liberty Tech Magnet 0

Jackson Christian 48, Harding Academy 13

Jackson South Side 35, Hardin County 20

Jefferson County 27, Powell 24

Lakeway Christian 23, Chattanooga Christian 0

Lausanne Collegiate 42, St. Benedict at Auburndale 7

Lawrence County 52, Franklin County 7

Lexington 37, Lewis County 28

Lipscomb Academy 27, Christian Brothers 24

Macon County 29, Barren County 14

Manassas 26, Booker T. Washington 20

Maryville 42, Science Hill 10

McCallie 44, Knoxville Catholic 22

McEwen 20, Perry County 14

McMinn Central 35, Tellico Plains 21

McNairy Central 15, Ripley 3

Meigs County 23, Scott 17

Memphis University 49, Memphis Central 34

Middle Tennessee Christian 35, Tipton-Rosemark Academy 28

Milan 37, Halls 0

Morristown-Hamblen West 21, Daniel Boone 0

Mount Juliet 30, Wilson Central 0

Mt. Pleasant 36, East Hickman County 6

Munford 39, Brighton 7

Nolensville 26, Centennial 14

Northpoint Christian 27, Evangelical Christian 21

Oak Ridge 21, Hardin Valley Academy 10

Oakhaven 40, KIPP Collegiate 20

Oakland 56, LaVergne 0

Page 34, Independence 14

Pigeon Forge 59, Cocke County 33

Providence Christian Academy 49, Providence Academy 14

Ravenwood 45, Shelbyville Central 14

Red Bank 21, McMinn County 11

Rhea County 28, Loudon 7

Richland 30, Summertown 10

Ridgeway 8, Craigmont 6

Riverside 39, Scotts Hill 0

Riverdale 37, Siegel 0

Rockvale 39, Tullahoma 38

Sequatchie County 51, Community 0

Sevier County 35, Tennessee 7

South Fulton 28, Obion County 22

South Gibson 24, Crockett County 14

South Haven Christian 46, Tennessee 14

South Pittsburg 56, Sale Creek 0

Spring Hill 35, Battle Creek 0

Stewarts Creek 49, Webb 26

Summit 35, Coffee County Central 21

Sweetwater 22, Oneida 19

Trousdale County 35, Monterey 14

Unicoi County 49, Claiborne 14

Union City 48, Gibson County 0

Walker Valley 63, Lenoir City 7

Watertown 27, Cascade 9

Waverly Central 34, Stewart County 0

West 59, William Blount 14

West Ridge 35, Morristown-Hamblen East 0

Westmoreland 27, Stratford 13

White House 35, Liberty Creek 14