Tennessee put an end to 15 years of misery at the hands of Alabama on Saturday as the No. 6 Volunteers upset the No. 3 Crimson Tide 52-49 at Neyland Stadium in a thrilling SEC showdown on CBS as Chase McGrath drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired to lift Tennessee to the win. Junior receiver Jalin Hyatt caught a school-record five touchdowns to pace the Volunteers, who improved to 6-0 with the victory.
A missed 50-yard attempt from Alabama kicker Will Reichard with 15 seconds left gave Tennessee a last-gasp effort, and the Volunteers capitalized by moving the football into field goal range with two quick completions.
The win marked the first over Alabama for Tennessee since 2006, when Phillip Fulmer coached the Volunteers and Mike Shula coached the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban was 15-0 as Alabama’s coach against six different Tennessee coaches entering the game, but his defense could not come up with enough stops against the Volunteers’ electric offense.
Putting an end to the streak was not easy, though. Tennessee squandered a 28-10 second quarter lead by allowing Alabama to score on five straight possessions at one point over the second and third quarters. Reigning Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young put forth a valiant effort in his return from a shoulder injury for the Crimson Tide and had Alabama ahead 49-42 midway through the fourth quarter.
But second-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel dialed up plenty of offensive answers for Young and Alabama star running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Namely, it Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker and Hyatt who shined for the Volunteers.
CBS Sports will update this story with takeaways.