Milroe, No. 11 Alabama stage huge second-half rally, top No. 17 Tennessee 34-20
Updated: 8:46 PM CDT Oct 21, 2023
All right. Well, obviously *** pretty fun second half, uh, really proud of our players, uh, when I walked in at halftime, after they scored right before the half, I said, everybody here has got *** choice. You got *** choice to make, um, what do you want to accomplish what you wanna do? Um Everybody's got to choose what they want and we went out and scored in two plays on the second in the second half in the first drive on offense and changed the momentum of the game and, you know, played really well from that time on and, you know, Tennessee's got *** really good team and, you know, I'm really proud of our players for the way they competed in the game and came back and the way they took care of business in the second half. But, um, you know, we got *** bi week coming up so probably need to get *** little rest for some of our guys. And, um, but, you know, we got more business to take care of in the future, but, uh, for right now, everybody should enjoy this. It's ***, it's *** great win for us. We had *** great atmosphere in the stadium. Our fans were fantastic. They had *** huge impact on the game in terms of the penalties at the end of the game and not allowing them to score. Um So I just can't tell you how pleased and proud I am with everybody in the organization, uh who puts *** lot into it. Uh so that we can, you know, have games like this, have atmospheres like this, uh and have the opportunity to compete like this for our players. So, uh really, really proud of our team and it was *** great team win. I mean, you know, 27 to nothing in the second half was, um pretty good offense. And uh really good defense that fourth down stop in the, I think it was the third quarter, uh I guess *** good rushing offense, but what was the key there? What were some of the, the points that you guys made to the defense? Are you talking about the one in the second half? Yeah. Well, we, we had ***, uh, you know, they like to get in *** bunch. So, you know, we had *** kind of *** check defense to go to, to get in like *** gap eight with two double edges and four spoke secondary to try to roll if they brought the ball to the perimeter. So the guys up front just knocked them back. I mean, and that was *** huge stop in the game had *** 2/4 down stops in the game were really huge. Nick, you kind of hit on in your opening statement, but why was it important for you to run over to the fans and thank them for their performance out there today? Well, I know how much it means to, you know, our fans of this game, the rivalry of this game, Tennessee, but, uh I also wanted to thank them because of, you know, what *** great job they did, the impact that they had on the game, the atmosphere on the game. Uh, I think it kept the energy level up, you know, for our team and kept the momentum rolling in the second half for us. So it was fantastic and I wish I could thank each one of them personally. You mentioned the second half of the defense just what was maybe the biggest adjustment if at all that you guys made. Yeah. Well, you know, in the beginning of the game we were trying to play odd because we were really trying to stop the run and, um, you know, they hit the big pass. We were an odd kind of didn't play the coverage. Exactly. Right. But, uh, for, you know, the first touchdown. But, um, you know, as the game went on, we started playing *** little more, even started playing things that we, you know, had played in the past and I think the players did *** really good job. It helped us rush the passer better. Um So, you know, I did *** player just did *** good job of adapting. We got *** better four man rush out of it and played, you know, more of the kind of coverages that we normally play with four man Russian rather than eight drops. K coach. This team continues to find ways to win *** battle back from adversity. What has it been like for you as *** coach to kind of watch them go through this journey week to week. Oh, I love it. You know, it's been great. The challenges are great. I enjoy coaching this team. Um, uh That's not to say that they're taking years off of my life, but I'm ok with that. Um So, but, uh, it's, it's fun because they've got *** good spirit about them. We got good relationships on our team. I think the players legitimately care about each other and, um, you know, they respond well to, to their coaches. So it's really fun to coach them. I don't think we sometimes show the maturity from *** competitive standpoint to do everything on *** consistent basis, which is what we keep trying to work, work toward. Uh, but I'll tell you 88 weeks in *** row and the grind that we've had the last four or five weeks, you know, with the games in our league. Um I, I think psychologically probably had *** little bit of *** t tired team, you know, out there at the beginning of the game and, uh, I think the momentum of the game gave them the energy they needed to play the way they could, they, they were capable of playing coach. I know we've heard Jalen tell us that we're not, you guys are not *** finished product. What, what does *** win like this show for you from, from your team, especially the defense, the whole Tennessee is scoreless in the second half there. Well, it's great the way we played in the second half. But, you know, you could make an argument that we weren't *** finished product in the first half. Um You know, really on either side of the ball. So, but I, I do think the resiliency that the players sort of show their ability to overcome adversity, you know, them scoring like right at the end of the half, um you know, us have an opportunity to score and turning it over and then they go down the field and they score right before the half. So it was *** big swing. I mean, from *** momentum standpoint. So it takes *** lot of resiliency, *** lot of perseverance from those players to bounce back from that because it was *** horrible way to end the first half and they did *** fantastic job of it. And uh I can't say enough about the competitive spirit that they have, um when they, when they need to have it. Coach Tennessee came into the game number one in the league and rushing their lead back was 11 for 22 on the ground. How big *** role did the run defense overall play in getting this win? Oh, I think it was important. I mean, they still hurt us at times with the quarterback runs, you know, quarterback draws *** couple of times. They had *** couple of perimeter plays with the quarterback. Um, and he's *** good player. He's *** big guy, he's fast, he's *** very good athlete and that creates another gap, you know, for you to have to play. Which one was one of the reasons we wanted to play odd, you know, so that we could play not only their runs but his runs better, but we didn't feel like we're playing coverage the way we needed and getting the rush that we needed. So, um, but, you know, they gained 230 yards rushing last week. I don't know what they gained today, but, uh I know it wasn't that much. So it was *** pretty good job. We saw Terry and Arnold Le the game in the, in the second half. What, what was wrong with him? And then also, what did you see from Trey on us replacing him? Trey played well, played really well, made some really good plays. I was very aggressive in coverage, uh had *** couple of pass breakups. Um on the sack, the sack fumble for *** touchdown. If *** guy would have thrown *** ball, he double clutched it. I think Trey Amos was going to intercept. It was right in front of me and he double clutched it and pulled it back and that's when Braz knocked out of his hand. So, um, I thought he played really, really well, Terry on, um, has *** slight concussion. Uh, so we, we thought he didn't clear protocol. So the thing that you do is you don't play the guy and, uh, that's for safety reasons and hopefully in *** few days he'll clear. I want to ask you about your quarterback and you talk about the point guard, but it seemed like he didn't take short runs, but then third quarter, fourth quarter, he took those runs. Is that what you like seeing out of him? Yeah. You know, I thought Jon played really well in the game, especially in the second half. Uh, we missed *** couple of reads in the first half on the runs, the quarterback runs. Um, but he did *** much better job in the second half. I think you got to get *** feel for how the guy's playing. You. Uh, it's *** little bit like if you are playing point guard and the guy's slough it off, you shoot *** three, you know, if he's guarding you close, you drive around him. So, uh, but when you're reading the defensive end on some of this stuff. I think that's, you got to get *** feel for it. And I think once that that happened in the game, he, he did *** really good job and he made some really key runs. The one scramble for *** first down was big. But the thing that we emphasize with him against these guys because they have really good edge rushers. You got to step up in the pocket on the touchdown pass, you know, start in the second half, edge pressure, stepped up in the pocket and threw the ball, stepped up in the pocket on *** couple of those runs. All right. So, um that, that was, and that's something that he used to do really well. So, um II, I thought he made some really key plays today. Talked about the adjustments that the defense made from the first half. Second. Were there similar adjustments that the offense made or what do you think was the difference in the offensive execution? No, iii I really think, you know, offensively, the shot that we took was *** planned play, the touchdown, uh start the second half. Um I don't think we ran different plays, *** lot of different plays. I think we did *** much better job of executing those plays. And, um, you know, we had *** couple of others that if we just finished blocks would have been even even more productive. So, uh but I thought Jason mcclelland really ran hard in the game. Um, the guy's been beat up *** little bit but he's one of the toughest guys on our team and certainly *** great competitor the way he, um, competed out there tonight. How has, uh, Jihad Campbell continued to find *** role for himself in the defense and any of big on Tres, Marshall, Tres and Marshall has like bruised ribs and, um, you know, he didn't, you know, I always ask the player, you know, you think you could play and even though he was able to practice *** little bit in *** black jersey, uh, which means nobody can hit you so he can move around decent enough. But every time he'd bump somebody, it was *** problem. So, um, you know, hopefully, you know, in two weeks, uh, he'll be ok. But, um, you know, he's been *** really good competitor for us and, you know, those three guys have rotated, you know, uh, 30 twos, Miss games, seventeens, Miss games, 30 takes whoever's missing, he takes their place because 32 plays both spots. You know, he plays Mike and Money. So Tres usually plays, um, Mike and he plays Will, but he played Mike tonight and 30 played Will. All right, we're good, appreciate you all. Thanks so much. It was *** fun day.
Milroe, No. 11 Alabama stage huge second-half rally, top No. 17 Tennessee 34-20
Updated: 8:46 PM CDT Oct 21, 2023
Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns, Jihaad Campbell returned a fumble for a score in the fourth quarter and No. 11 Alabama uncorked 27 straight second-half points in rallying for a 34-20 victory over No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday.With its national title hopes on the brink, Alabama (7-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) turned in its most dominant half of the season. And it came against a border rival who had helped end 鈥楤ama鈥檚 championship aspirations a year ago.The comeback was fueled by big plays from Milroe and tailback Jase McClellan and a defense that smothered Joe Milton III and the Volunteers (5-2, 2-2) after the half and even provided the decisive TD.Cambell took a scoop-and-score 24 yards midway through the fourth quarter after Chris Braswell knocked the ball loose from Milton.The loss dealt a big blow to the SEC East chances for the Vols, who had built a 20-7 halftime lead with a huge start from Milton.Their chances of a first win in Tuscaloosa in 20 years rapidly evaporated. The Vols had ended 15 years of frustration against the Tide, 52-49 a year ago on a last-play field goal.Milroe completed 14 of 21 passes for 220 yards, with a 46-yard touchdown less than a minute into the second half and an earlier 10-yarder to Jermaine Burton. McClellan ran 27 times for 115 yards and a touchdown.Milton was 28 of 41 for 271 yards 鈥� including 175 by the half 鈥� and two touchdowns. He also gained 59 rushing after completing his first nine passes.Alabama turned Vols coach Josh Heupel鈥檚 second failed fourth-down gamble shy of midfield territory into its first lead. McClellan bounced outside and ran untouched for a 5-yard touchdown.The Tide had a chance to make it a two-score game in the fourth quarter but had to settle for Will Reichard鈥檚 50-yard field goal for a 27-20 lead with 8:17 left. The defense delivered the knockout blow.Squirrel Wright sprawled out for a 39-yard touchdown on the opening drive and finished with 10 catches for 111 yards. He had eight for 105 by halftime, though.THE TAKEAWAYTennessee: The Vols looked like a different offense in the first half, keeping the Tide off-balance. Milton turned things around after Texas A&M held him to 100 passing yards. Heupel鈥檚 fourth-down gambles and failures in the red zone cost the team.Alabama: Yet another slow start left Alabama down 13-0 and outgained 187-36 in the first quarter. The Tide looked like a complete team in the second half, though. It was a big bounce-back from second-half struggles against Arkansas.POLL IMPLICATIONSAlabama could well return to the Top 10 for the first time since losing to Texas 鈥� unless voters only saw the first half. The Vols won鈥檛 likely fall too far.UP NEXTTennessee visits SEC East rival Kentucky on Oct. 28Alabama has an open date before facing chief SEC West challenger, No. 19 LSU on Nov. 4
Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns, Jihaad Campbell returned a fumble for a score in the fourth quarter and No. 11 Alabama uncorked 27 straight second-half points in rallying for a 34-20 victory over No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday.
With its national title hopes on the brink, Alabama (7-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) turned in its most dominant half of the season. And it came against a border rival who had helped end 鈥楤ama鈥檚 championship aspirations a year ago.
The comeback was fueled by big plays from Milroe and tailback Jase McClellan and a defense that smothered Joe Milton III and the Volunteers (5-2, 2-2) after the half and even provided the decisive TD.
Cambell took a scoop-and-score 24 yards midway through the fourth quarter after Chris Braswell knocked the ball loose from Milton.
The loss dealt a big blow to the SEC East chances for the Vols, who had built a 20-7 halftime lead with a huge start from Milton.
Their chances of a first win in Tuscaloosa in 20 years rapidly evaporated. The Vols had ended 15 years of frustration against the Tide, 52-49 a year ago on a last-play field goal.
Milroe completed 14 of 21 passes for 220 yards, with a 46-yard touchdown less than a minute into the second half and an earlier 10-yarder to Jermaine Burton. McClellan ran 27 times for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Milton was 28 of 41 for 271 yards 鈥� including 175 by the half 鈥� and two touchdowns. He also gained 59 rushing after completing his first nine passes.
Alabama turned Vols coach Josh Heupel鈥檚 second failed fourth-down gamble shy of midfield territory into its first lead. McClellan bounced outside and ran untouched for a 5-yard touchdown.
The Tide had a chance to make it a two-score game in the fourth quarter but had to settle for Will Reichard鈥檚 50-yard field goal for a 27-20 lead with 8:17 left. The defense delivered the knockout blow.
Squirrel Wright sprawled out for a 39-yard touchdown on the opening drive and finished with 10 catches for 111 yards. He had eight for 105 by halftime, though.
THE TAKEAWAY
Tennessee: The Vols looked like a different offense in the first half, keeping the Tide off-balance. Milton turned things around after Texas A&M held him to 100 passing yards. Heupel鈥檚 fourth-down gambles and failures in the red zone cost the team.
Alabama: Yet another slow start left Alabama down 13-0 and outgained 187-36 in the first quarter. The Tide looked like a complete team in the second half, though. It was a big bounce-back from second-half struggles against Arkansas.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Alabama could well return to the Top 10 for the first time since losing to Texas 鈥� unless voters only saw the first half. The Vols won鈥檛 likely fall too far.
UP NEXT
Tennessee visits SEC East rival Kentucky on Oct. 28
Alabama has an open date before facing chief SEC West challenger, No. 19 LSU on Nov. 4