Alabama smokes No. 20 Tennessee, 41-17

TUSCALOOSA | This was the game the University of Alabama football team had been waiting for.

This time. This opponent. This Third Saturday in October.

Yes, Alabama, or rather “Yeah, Alabama,” hadn’t quite put it all together before Saturday. And prior to kickoff at Bryant-Denny Stadium school officials announced the suspensions of five players, including two starters on the offensive line, stemming from an off-field investigation regarding textbooks.

It didn’t matter. Alabama didn’t blink and thumped rival Tennessee, 41-17.

“Rumor has it we couldn’t make it past the first quarter if we got hit in the mouth,” said sophomore fullback Baron Huber, who originally hails from Knoxville. “I think we did a good job of that.”

Although many will believe the Crimson Tide (6-2 overall, 4-1 SEC) had been holding back in anticipation of this game, with Alabama successfully executing an onside kick on the first play and later using an unusual shift to covert two four-and-short opportunities in Tennessee territory, the game’s outcome wasn’t decided by any fluke trick play or at the last minute — which was a first for this team since defeating Vanderbilt on Sept. 8 (24-10).

Thanks to eight possessions lasting eight plays or more, including a 75-yard, 16-play touchdown drive at the end of the half, Alabama dominated the crucial statistic of time of possession, 37 minutes, 38 seconds to 22:22.

That translated into numerous other impressive numbers, like junior quarterback John Parker Wilson completing 32 of 46 passes for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns, senior wide receiver DJ Hall making a school-record 13 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and redshirt freshman Terry Grant accumulating 104 rushing yards and 31 receiving yards en route to two more touchdowns.

“We knew what we could do,” Wilson said. “We’d have a good quarter, a good first quarter, a good third quarter, a good fourth quarter. It never really pulled together. We talked about it all week.”

Meanwhile, the defense kept the SEC’s best passing offense and most prolific passer, senior quarterback Erik Ainge, off the scoreboard in the second half, when Alabama scored 17 points (a touchdown, two-point conversion and three field goals).

“It was huge for us because the offense was playing very well,” senior cornerback Simeon Castille said. “We just set a goal for the second half.

“My dad [Jeremiah] came up to me and said, ‘Man you guys need to hold them to a goose egg in the second half.’ Our defense rose to the challenge.”

However, coming in Alabama’s top concern wasn’t Tennessee’s passing game, rather the potent ground attack led by Arian Foster. Two 15-yard carries keyed the Volunteers’ first touchdown drive, and his 53-yard catch out of the backfield (thanks to botched coverage) set up another score to give UT a 14-10 lead one play into the second quarter.

The junior running back still averaged 7 yards per carry, with 91 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown, but the more Tide was able to extend its lead the more it forced the Vols to pass.

“I can honestly say that we put it together for four quarters and feel good about it,” senior end Wallace Gilberry said. “That was the big thing.

“Of course Tennessee is a good team. They’re going to have some drive, but for the most part we really came together as a unit and really took care of business.”

Although Alabama wasn’t able to record a sack, it did create enough pressure to help break up five passes, not to mention the first two interceptions of freshman cornerback Kareem Jackson’s career -- including a spectacular grab in front of a receiver early in the second half, with the 29-yard return helping set up a touchdown for a 27-17 lead.

“His back was bothering him,” junior safety Rashad Johnson said. “You couldn’t tell it when he was on the field. He was lights out.”

One of the Tide’s few gaffes came with 2 seconds remaining in the first half, when Johnson was penalized for a late hit, which gave Tennessee freshman kicker Daniel Lincoln a chance to make a 45-yard field goal.

“Stupid mistake,” Johnson said.

Only Tennessee just never found a way to stop the Tide offense, which accumulated 510 total yards and 27 first downs, while successfully playing keep-away from the Volunteers.

Alabama spread the defenders and went the other direction like Grant’s 8-yard draw for a touchdown. The passing game attacked the secondary, and then took whatever it could get underneath to control the clock. The offense converted 8 of 18 third-down opportunities and made fewer costly mistakes, like Tennessee’s roughing-the-passer penalty on third down which helped lead to sophomore Leigh Tiffin’s fourth field goal.

“We had the fewest errors that we have had all year long, and I think that is why we executed well,” Nick Saban said.

All that despite the suspensions, the previous inability to dominate an opponent and the supposed, and now silly, notion that the Tide wasn’t tough enough to beat the No. 20 Volunteers (4-3, 2-2), even at home.

“One man’s mistake is another man’s opportunity,” said senior linebacker Darren Mustin, who led the defense with eight tackles. “In order to win big game, you have to battle adversity, and we battled all kinds of adversity. A lot of crazy stuff could have got us out of focus, but we came out ready to play.

“It was as close a complete game that we played all year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We have a bye next week. The 24-hour rule might be a little longer, I don’t know.”

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0196.