No. 6 Alabama will host No. 11 Tennessee Saturday under the lights of Bryant-Denny Stadium, with the Crimson Tide aiming for revenge for last season’s loss.
The matchup has been held at night several times throughout its history, but Saturday’s matchup will be the first night game since 2021.
1997: Final faceoff at “The Gray Lady”
In its first year under head coach Mike DuBose, unranked Alabama welcomed No. 9 Tennessee to Legion Field for what became the final Third Saturday in October matchup played at the former primary venue for Crimson Tide home games. The stadium had fallen into disrepair, and both Auburn and Alabama chose to expand their on-campus venues rather than sign a new contract with the city of Birmingham.
Senior Volunteers quarterback and future NFL Hall of Fame inductee Peyton Manning had led his team to a 4-1 record and was in pursuit of the Heisman Trophy after two top-10 finishes in 1995 and 1996.
Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, the Volunteer faithful left its final voyage to “The Gray Lady” victorious, as Tennessee trounced Alabama, 38-21. Manning continued his Heisman charge with a strong performance, completing 23 of 37 passes for 304 yards and tossing three touchdowns.
Manning famously led Tennessee’s “Pride of the Southland” band postgame, something he remembered missing after winning in Birmingham in 1995.
“And so sure enough, two years later, we went back and we won the game again and I’m like, ‘I’m not missing this celebration,’” Manning said in August 2023. “And so I was kinda jogging over to the student section where most of the Tennessee fans were, and I remember someone saying ‘Hey, do you wanna go lead the band?’ and I was like ‘Sure.’”
2019: Scoop-and-score seals 13th-straight win over Tennessee
No. 1 Alabama was dealt a tough hand early in the 102nd edition of The Third Saturday in October, as star quarterback and Heisman hopeful Tua Tagovailoa suffered a high ankle sprain that saw him leave the game against Tennessee and later undergo surgery.
The Crimson Tide, with an inexperienced Mac Jones at quarterback in place of Tagovailoa, struggled to pull away from the 2-4 Volunteers. Alabama led 21-10 at halftime, but Tennessee stayed resilient and was down just eight points for much of the third quarter.
Alabama made the score 28-13 after Jones found tight end Miller Forristall in the end zone with 4:55 left in the third quarter.
Tennessee did not let the two-score lead faze them and continued to push for a score. The Volunteers drove down the field and had the football inside the Alabama 1-yard line on fourth and goal, with a touchdown seemingly imminent.
But, just when they thought they had cut the Alabama lead to one score again, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano had the ball punched out by linebacker Shane Lee and the ball trickled into the end zone. Alabama defensive back Trevon Diggs returned it 100 yards to the house, slamming the door on the upset bid and giving the team a 35-13 win and its 13th-straight victory over Tennessee.
“It was probably my favorite play since I’ve been here,” Diggs said of the scoop-and-score.
2021: Offense rolls over Vols in last win of 15-game streak
The most recent time the two squads dueled under the lights before this Saturday saw eventual Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and a future Heisman hopeful in Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker face off.
Tennessee took an early 14-7 in the first quarter and kept the game close for much of the contest. That was until the fourth quarter, when Young and running back Brian Robinson Jr. accounted for two touchdowns each and broke the game wide open in favor of the Crimson Tide, 52-24.
The win eventually served as the final in an impressive 15-game win streak over Tennessee, as the Volunteers defeated a Saban-led Crimson Tide team for the first and only time in 2022.
The rowdy and cigar-hungry Bryant-Denny crowd forced four Volunteer false starts and earned praise from former head coach Nick Saban.
“I want to give credit to the crowd tonight,” Saban said. “They were great.”
No. 6 Alabama will battle No. 11 Tennessee in prime time Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on ABC.
