Tennessee defeated No. 6 Alabama 26-10 on the third Saturday in October, handing the Crimson Tide its second consecutive regular-season loss. This marks the first time Alabama has dropped back-to-back regular-season games since 2007.
The Volunteers relied on a strong defensive performance and steady play from quarterback George MacIntyre to secure their third straight win. Running back DeSean Bishop was the offensive standout for Tennessee, rushing for 159 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Alabama's offense struggled significantly, managing only 201 yards of total offense, including just 54 rushing yards. The Crimson Tide also turned the ball over four times during the game. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 147 yards and scored the team's only touchdown on a 19-yard run. He also threw two interceptions, and the team lost two fumbles.
Tennessee led 12-10 at halftime after both offenses struggled to find rhythm. The teams combined for five turnovers and were 3 of 17 in third-down conversions.
Alabama arrived at Neyland Stadium without its primary wideout, Ryan Coleman-Williams, who had recently had surgery to fix a torn cartilage in his knee.
The result was part of a pair of upsets in the Southeastern Conference during the same weekend. Unranked Auburn defeated top-ranked Georgia in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Auburn capitalized on a late fumble by Georgia and kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. That victory marked the second consecutive week that the nation's No. 1 team had suffered a loss, following Oklahoma's Week 6 win over then-top ranked Texas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.