On the third Saturday in October (even though it was the fourth Saturday), Tennessee and Alabama played their yearly rivalry game. This was Lane Kiffin's first trip back to Knoxville since bolting the team for USC in January of 2010. Justin Worley was out with a shoulder injury, which might be season-ending for the Vols. The Vols were also without starting right tackle Coleman Thomas on an already depleted offensive line. All signs pointed to 4th ranked Alabama rolling over the Vols. Alabama would go on to win 34-20 over Tennessee.
The first quarter looked like it would be an easy victory. The very first play for Alabama's offense was an 80 yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. That was a trend that was very prevalent throughout the game. Cooper ended the game with 224 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was against a Vols defense that prior to the game was averaging giving up less than 175 yards a game passing. Cooper beat that by himself. The first quarter ended 20-0 and it looked like Bama would walk away with the game.
The potential turn-around for the Vols whole season came on the third drive of the game. With Justin Worley injured, 3rd year sophomore Nathan Peterman got the start. By the third series the Vols were already in serious trouble down 13-0. In comes true sophomore Josh Dobbs. Dobbs played the remainder of the game for the Vols and looked good doing it. He is a very mobile quarterback and he was able to overcome the poor play of the offensive line by staying mobile. He brought excitement to the game again when all looked lost. Tennessee ended the last 3 quarters outscoring Bama 20-14 and looked like the better team through the second half. The first few minutes brought on a deficit too big to overcome, however, and Alabama won the game 34-20.
There were several takeaways for both teams. Alabama started off hot in a road contest which is different than what we're used to seeing. They had an explosive start and looked like they would breeze through the game. The defense, however, showed some signs of being subject to a mobile quarterback. Dobbs had 19 carries for 75 yards against the Tide's defense including an exciting scramble for 30 yards tearing up the defense.
The Vols found their quarterback for at least the rest of the year, if not the next few years. Dobbs played a great game against a great team. There are no moral victories in football, but Tennessee has to feel as good in a loss as they have all season with this one.