Alabama rolls over Tennessee, 44-13

The Alabama Crimson Tide soared past the Tennessee Volunteers in a strong win at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.

The Tide opened scoring in the game on their second possession. In 6 plays, Alabama covered the 47 yards needed to get to the endzone. The drive was capped off with an A.J. McCarron pass to Amari Cooper for 23 yards and the touchdown. Jeremy Shelley's extra point was good.

Tennessee made an impressive drive on their subsequent possession. Two Tyler Bray passes helped move the ball down the field. One 26-yard pass yard landed in the arms of Marlin Lane and the other was a 25-yarder to Cordarrelle Patterson to get to the Alabama 9-yard line. The Volunteers eventually found themselves facing 4th and goal at the 14, forcing them to settle for a Michael Palardy field goal at the 3:38 mark.

After missing a field goal attempt at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Alabama was ready to add some points to the board. They got the chance after Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray threw a pass directly into the arms of Bama defender C.J. Mosley. Four rushes by T.J. Yeldon was all it took for Alabama to add another touchdown, the final rush being for 1 yard through the Tennessee defense into the endzone with 11:23 remaining in the half. The extra point attempt was botched and the Tide had to settle for a score of 13-3.

Alabama was able to add another touchdown a few moments later. A 4-play drive saw Alabama back to the endzone, mostly with the help of a 54-yard McCarron pass to Amari Cooper to the Tennessee 15 yard line. A 14-yard rush by Eddie Lacy helped close the gap and the touchdown was gained by a pass to Michael Williams for 1 yard. The Jeremy Shelley extra point was good and saw the score to 20-3.

The Volunteers answered the score quickly. Cordarrelle Patterson returned the kickoff for 45 yards through the Alabama kickoff team and a Tyler Bray pass to Michael Rivera covered another 43 yards. The touchdown was grabbed by a rush from A.J. Johnson for 2 yards at the 5:32 mark. The Michale Palardy extra point was good and the score set at 20-10.

With 1:23 remaining in the half, Alabama added another field goal. The Tide drove down the field for eight plays but found themselves facing 4th and 4 at the Tennessee 17. Jeremy Shelley's kick was good and the game into halftime with a score of 23-10.

In the second half, Alabama was the first team to score. Most of the 3rd quarter went without any new points, but the Tide finally got to the endzone with just under 3 minutes left in the quarter. After the Volunteers downed at the Alabama 33, Alabama covered the remaining 67 yards in 6 plays. Amari Cooper nabbed his second touchdown after receiving an A.J. McCarron pass for 42 yards. Jeremy Shelley's extra point gave Alabama a score of 30.

The next Alabama touchdown came at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Volunteer Tyler Bray's pass was intercepted by the Tide's Robert Lester in the endzone for a touchback. From there, T.J. Yeldon rushed for five plays in a row for a total of 41 yards. The drive was then finished up with a pass to Kenny Bell with 12:46 remaining in the game. The Shelley kick was good.

Alabama scored again on their next possession. Tennessee was forced to down at the Alabama 42 and the Tide capitalized on it. On their third play of the offensive series, T.J. Yeldon broke past the Volunteer defense and rushed 43 yards for the touchdown. Jeremy Shelley's kick set the score at 44-10.

The Volunteers added one more field goal to the scoreboard in the 4th quarter. After being held at the Alabama 3-yard line, Tennessee opted to have Michael Palardy kick a 20-yard field goal. This brought the game to 44-13 and wrapped up the scoring for a Bama win.

Next week, Alabama plays Mississippi State at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 a.m.

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