Here are some quick thoughts on Alabama’s narrow 19-14 victory over Tennessee on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

What it means:

This win keeps Alabama on track for the SEC Championship, but it puts even more pressure on Tennessee to finish their season at .500.

What I liked:

  • The Volunteers came to play. Despite losing their last eight games to the Crimson Tide, they were not intimidated. They came out swinging, and they didn’t slow down until time expired.
  • Tennessee’s defensive line looked great. It missed some big plays, but it gave Alabama trouble. Overall, this is the best the Volunteers defense has looked all season.
  • Alabama: The Crimson Tide did a much better job this week of holding onto the ball, and special teams made no game-changing mistakes.
  • RB Derrick Henry was a workhorse in this game, rushing 28 times for a total of 142 yards and 2 TDs. None of these yards were easy against a tough Tennessee defense.
  • But the somewhat surprising heroes were the Tide receivers and tight ends. WR Calvin Ridley, WR ArDarius Stewart, WR Richard Mullaney and TE O.J. Howard all contributed in a big way, combining 21 receptions for 240 yards.

What I didn’t like:

  • Tennessee: Tennessee struggled on special teams today, especially PK George Bullock who went 0-3 on field goal attempts against the Tide.
  • Tide QB Jake Coker devolved this week. He had trouble scrambling and he made a lot of poor throws. Luckily for him, his receivers adapted to catch those underthrown passes anyway.
  • Both teams had a lot of emotion coming into this game, and it led to some sloppy play, especially in the beginning of the game. Three players—Tide DB Marlon Humphrey, Vols DB Stephen Griffin and Tide RB Kenyan Drake—were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Eventually both teams got their heads back and cleaned up their performances.

Who’s the man:

Henry’s longest run tonight was 20 yards, and none of his runs were as memorable as we are used to seeing, but he was the single constant for the Tide. And Henry hit a huge accomplishment today: he joined former Tide RB Mark Ingram as the only players to reach 1,000 rushing yards in the first eight games of the season.

Key play:

With less than two minutes left to play, Tide LB Ryan Anderson forced a fumble and Tide DL A’Shawn Robinson recovered it. This was the nail in the coffin for Tennessee as it killed the Volunteers’ last chance to pull ahead.

What’s next:

Alabama heads into a bye week to prepare for the big matchup against LSU Nov. 7 in Tuscaloosa. A win against the Tigers is a must if the Tide wants to play for the SEC Championship.

Tennessee looks to regroup against Kentucky Oct. 31 in Lexington. The Volunteers need to make some big changes if they hope to make it to a bowl game this season, and a win against the Wildcats will be the place to start.