Alabama
| Player | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Hill | 7 | 34 | 0 |
| Trae’shawn Brown | 6 | 12 | 0 |
| Keelon Russell | 11 | 6 | 1 |
| EJ Crowell | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lotzeir Brooks | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Hill also lost a fumble.
The result
Third straight home win over Alabama for the Vols, who never trailed in Knoxville.
Final — Neyland Stadium
26—10
Tennessee by sixteen
Tennessee's defense forced four turnovers and five sacks, held Alabama to 201 yards of offense, and shut the Tide out in the second half. DeSean Bishop carried 32 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
How it happened
- 01Fast defensive start. Jeremiah Telander's strip-sack on Alabama's first possession set up Tennessee's first field goal, and Dejuan Lane's interception on the next drive set up the second. Alabama never led.
- 02Field goals kept it comfortable early. Cooper Ranvier went 4-for-4 in the first half (29, 33, 41, 34 yards), answering both Alabama scores. Halftime: Tennessee 12, Alabama 10.
- 03Bishop closed it out. 5-yard touchdown runs at 5:09 of the third quarter and 3:17 of the fourth — the final drive consumed 9:32, the longest of the Josh Heupel era.
- 04Russell's worst game. Keelon Russell finished 19-of-29 for 147 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fumble. Alabama managed 2-of-13 on third down and went 0-for-7 before halftime.
Records entering the game: Alabama 5–1 (3–1 SEC), Tennessee 5–1 (2–1 SEC). After: Tennessee 6–1 (3–1 SEC), Alabama 5–2 (3–2 SEC). Weather at kickoff: sunny, 57°F, wind NNE 14 mph. Fans stormed the field after the final whistle; the SEC fine was expected.
Scoring summary
All eight scoring plays, in order.
| Qtr | Time | Alabama | Tennessee | Scoring play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10:10 | 0 | 3 | Cooper Ranvier 29-yard field goal |
| 1 | 9:04 | 0 | 6 | Cooper Ranvier 33-yard field goal |
| 1 | 5:07 | 0 | 9 | Cooper Ranvier 41-yard field goal |
| 2 | 10:20 | 7 | 9 | Keelon Russell 19-yard touchdown run (Conor Talty kick) |
| 2 | 5:22 | 7 | 12 | Cooper Ranvier 34-yard field goal |
| 2 | 0:10 | 10 | 12 | Conor Talty 42-yard field goal |
| 3 | 5:09 | 10 | 19 | DeSean Bishop 5-yard touchdown run (Ranvier kick) |
| 4 | 3:22 | 10 | 26 | DeSean Bishop 5-yard touchdown run (Ranvier kick) |
Alabama's only touchdown followed Ivan Taylor's interception and 14-yard return to the Tennessee 14-yard line. Talty's 42-yarder came with five seconds left in the half after a Tennessee holding penalty.
Team stats
Tennessee won every phase except penalties, which were nearly even.
| Category | Alabama | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 10 | 26 |
| 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th quarter | 0 / 10 / 0 / 0 | 9 / 3 / 7 / 7 |
| First downs (pass / rush / penalty) | 12 (8 / 2 / 2) | 20 (9 / 10 / 1) |
| Total yards (plays) | 201 (55) | 347 (72) |
| Yards per play | 3.7 | 4.8 |
| Rushing yards (attempts) | 54 (26) | 150 (41) |
| Passing yards (comp / att) | 147 (19 / 29) | 197 (21 / 31) |
| Sacks allowed (yards) | 5 (35) | 1 (2) |
| Third down | 2 / 13 | 6 / 15 |
| Fourth down | 1 / 3 | 1 / 1 |
| Red zone | 1 / 2 | 5 / 5 |
| Turnovers (INT / fumbles lost) | 4 (2 / 2) | 2 (1 / 1) |
| Penalties (yards) | 10 (68) | 8 (65) |
| Time of possession | 24:16 | 35:44 |
| Punts | 6 | 4 |
Tennessee held Alabama to 93 yards on nine first-half drives; the Tide's only first-half TD came on a drive that started at the 14-yard line. Tennessee stopped two Alabama fourth-and-1 attempts inside Alabama's own 40.
Player stats
Complete box score for every player who threw a pass, carried the ball, or caught one — plus the defensive leaders.
Passing
| Quarterback | Cmp / Att | Yards | TD | INT | Rush (att / yds / TD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keelon Russell (Alabama) | 19 / 29 | 147 | 0 | 2 | 11 / 6 / 1 |
| George MacIntyre (Tennessee) | 21 / 31 | 197 | 0 | 1 | 2 / −4 / 0 |
No other player attempted a pass for either team. Russell also lost one fumble (strip-sack); MacIntyre fumbled once but Tennessee recovered.
Rushing
Tennessee
| Player | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeSean Bishop | 32 | 159 | 2 |
| Daune Morris | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| George MacIntyre | 2 | −4 | 0 |
| Mike Matthews | 1 | −10 | 0 |
| Team (kneels / misc.) | 2 | −7 | 0 |
Bishop's 32 carries and 159 yards were both the second-highest totals of his career; his TDs were the 28th and 29th of his career.
Receiving
Alabama
| Player | Rec / Tgt | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Pritchett (TE) | 6 / 6 | 39 | 0 |
| Rico Scott | 4 / 11 | 54 | 0 |
| Lotzeir Brooks | 3 / 3 | 26 | 0 |
| Kaleb Edwards (TE) | 2 / 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Derek Meadows | 2 / 3 | 8 | 0 |
| Daniel Hill (RB) | 1 / 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Danny Lewis Jr. (TE) | 1 / 1 | 5 | 0 |
No Alabama receiver topped 54 yards. Scott also had an 18-yard punt return.
Tennessee
| Player | Rec / Tgt | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Matthews | 7 / 9 | 85 | 0 |
| DaSaahn Brame (TE) | 3 / 6 | 39 | 0 |
| DeSean Bishop (RB) | 3 / 3 | 16 | 0 |
| Radarious Jackson | 2 / 3 | 24 | 0 |
| TK Keys | 2 / 2 | 13 | 0 |
| Braylon Staley | 2 / 3 | 10 | 0 |
| Javin Gordon (RB) | 1 / 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Daune Morris (RB) | 1 / 1 | 3 | 0 |
Matthews set a career high with 7 catches. Trent Thomas and Luca Wolf were each targeted once without a catch.
Defensive leaders
Alabama
| Player | Tackles | Also |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Woodson | 11 | Team high |
| Bray Hubbard | 10 | Pass breakup |
| Luke Metz | 7 | Fumble recovery, 2 QB hurries |
| Yhonzae Pierre | 6 | 1 sack, 2 QB hurries, pass breakup |
| Ivan Taylor | — | Interception (14-yard return, set up Alabama's TD) |
Tennessee
| Player | Tackles | Also |
|---|---|---|
| Amare Campbell | 8 | 2 tackles for loss |
| TJ Metcalf | 6 | — |
| Dejuan Lane | 5 | 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1.5 TFL |
| Tyree Weathersby | 4 | 2 sacks, 2.5 TFL, 1 fumble recovery |
| Jeremiah Telander | — | 2 sacks, 2.0 TFL, 1 forced fumble |
Arion Carter added Tennessee's fifth sack; Kayin Lee sealed it with an end-zone interception with 48 seconds left. Tennessee now leads the nation with 30 sacks.
Telander's total tackle count was not published in the sources found; sacks, TFLs and the forced fumble are confirmed by Tennessee Athletics. Taylor's tackle total for Alabama was likewise not published.
Key takeaways
What decided the Third Saturday in October.
- 01Knowles' defense bullied Alabama. Tennessee forced four turnovers — Telander's strip-sack on the first drive, Lane's interception and fumble recovery, Lee's game-sealing pick — and logged five sacks (Telander 2, Weathersby 2, Carter 1). Alabama's 201 yards were the Tide's fewest in the rivalry since 2005, and they were shut out after halftime.
- 02The preview's Tennessee path was exactly the game. The preview flagged two routes to a Vols upset: the nation's top pass rush against a backup center, and Bishop against a run defense missing its starting DT. Both hit: Alabama allowed 5 sacks and managed 54 rushing yards, while Bishop ground out 159 on a career-high 32 carries behind 35:44 of possession.
- 03Russell had his worst game when it mattered most. 19-of-29 for a season-low 147 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a lost fumble — plus 0-for-7 on third down before halftime. Alabama's first-half red-zone streak ended at 27 straight scoring trips; the Tide went 1-for-2 in the red zone.
- 04The first half was won by kickers. Ranvier's 4-for-4 half (29, 33, 41, 34) kept Tennessee ahead despite three red-zone trips without a touchdown, and Talty's 42-yarder at the gun made it 12–10 — as close as Alabama would ever get. Tennessee is now 6–1 and pointed at the playoff; Alabama (5–2) has lost back-to-back regular-season games for the first time since 2007.
Against the call
The preview picked Alabama 31–20. The game went the other way — and the preview's own Tennessee blueprint is why.
Preview call
Alabama 31 – 20
The preview projected Alabama by eleven, leaning on Russell's efficiency and Alabama's 27-for-27 red-zone scoring. It named Tennessee's two real paths to an upset: the nation's best pass rush hunting a backup center, and Bishop against a Tide front missing starting DT Terrance Green.
Actual final
Tennessee 26 – 10
Both of those paths hit. Tennessee sacked Russell five times and forced four turnovers; Bishop ran for 159 yards and both second-half touchdowns. The Vols covered as 8.5-point underdogs, and the 36 combined points sailed under the 51.5 total.
The preview was right about the trench mismatch but wrong about the magnitude: it had Alabama surviving the rush and finishing drives. Instead, the Vols' defense held Alabama to 10 points — the Tide's fewest in the rivalry since 2005 — while MacIntyre managed the game to career highs in completions and attempts.
Sources & caveats
Final score and box score verified October 18, 2026. Statistics are from the sources below; where they disagreed, the discrepancy is noted rather than smoothed over.
- Sportradar game pageFinal score, quarters, full team stats, full player box score, all scoring plays.
- Tennessee Athletics postgame notesAttendance 101,915 (32nd straight sellout), Bishop / MacIntyre / Matthews / Ranvier notes, defensive detail, series records.
- Roll Tide (Alabama Athletics) recapRussell 19-of-29 / 147 / 2 INT; Hill 34 yds; Scott 54 yds; Pritchett 6 rec; Woodson 11 tackles; Hubbard 10; Metz FR; Pierre sack; Taylor INT.
- Vols Wire recap26–10 final; Bishop 32/159/2 TD; Campbell 8 tackles; Telander & Weathersby 2 sacks each; Ranvier 4/4.
- NBC Sports recap26–10; Alabama 201 yards, 4 turnovers; Russell 2 INT; back-to-back losses first time since 2007.
- Knox News live updatesHalftime 12–10; Talty 42-yd FG; MacIntyre 21/31; Lane INT + FR; defense notes.
- Roll Tide Wire live blogQuarter-by-quarter scores; Russell's end-zone INT; final 26–10.
- NGSC Sports recapFull individual leaders incl. Hill 7/34, Brooks 3/26, Lane INT + FR, Woodson 11 tackles.
- KB Sports Media recapTalty 42-yd FG detail; Lane 5 tackles / INT / FR; Weathersby 4 tackles / 2 sacks / 2.5 TFL.
- USA Today live coverageRussell 19-of-29, 147 yds, 19-yard rushing TD; Brandon relief role context.
- Vols on SI26–10 final; Tennessee at 30 sacks, leading the nation.
- USA Today field-storming26–10; Heupel's third straight Neyland win over Alabama; expected SEC fine.
Caveats — read before citing
- Russell completions: one outlet printed "9 of 29"; cross-checked against Sportradar, rolltide.com, Knox News, USA Today and ClutchPoints — all show 19-of-29. Used 19-of-29.
- Tackle counts: Tennessee's published notes give sacks/TFLs/turnovers for Telander but not his total tackle count; Alabama's recap gives no tackle total for Ivan Taylor. Shown as confirmed elsewhere.
- Q1 9–0: Tennessee's nine first-quarter points came on three field goals — no touchdown, no safety.
- Records and ranks shown are game-day figures (Alabama No. 6/7, Tennessee No. 14/14); Sunday polls were not yet released at research time.