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Postgame Notes: #14/14 Tennessee 26, #6/7 Tennessee 10#14 Vols Extend Series Home Streak Over #6/7 Tide, 26-10Vols Fall to Xavier, 86-70, in Exhibition Affair
Courtesy / UT Athletics

Postgame Notes: #14/14 Tennessee 26, #6/7 Tennessee 10

Oct 18, 2026 | 6:56 AM
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Oct. 17, 2026 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Neyland Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 14/14 Tennessee 26, No. 6/7 Alabama 10

General Notes

  • Saturday’s attendance at Neyland Stadium: 101,915 (sold out)
    • Neyland Stadium was sold out for the 32nd consecutive contest, a streak that dates back to Sept. 17, 2022.
  • Tennessee’s all-time on-field record improved to 900-423-53 with Saturday’s win (NCAA record: 889-423-53).
    • Tennessee became the 11th FBS program in college football history to hit the 900 on-field win mark, joining Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Nebraska, Georgia and Southern Cal.
      • Note: 11 victories from 2019-20 were vacated by the NCAA, giving Tennessee an NCAA record of 889-423-53.
  • No. 14/14 Tennessee and No. 6/7 Alabama met on the gridiron for the 109th time in series history in a rivalry billed “The Third Saturday in October” since 1939.
    • The Alabama series is the third-longest in UT history (109 games) behind Kentucky (121) and Vanderbilt (119).
    • For the first time since Oct. 17, 1970, Tennessee and Alabama donned their “home” jerseys as part of a two-year agreement between both administrations and coaching staffs.
    • The two teams met as top 20 teams for the 24th time and as top 15 squads for the fourth time in five years.
    • Tennessee earned its third consecutive home victory in the series for the first time since 1996-1998-2000.
    • The Vols have put up at least 20 points in Josh Heupel‘s first six meetings against the Crimson Tide. This is the first time UT has done so in six straight matchups since a seven-game streak from 1995-2001.
    • The last time Tennessee beat Alabama by double digits was on Oct. 20, 2001, with a 35-24 result in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It last did so at home on Oct. 21, 2000, with a 20-10 score.
      • The 16-point victory was the largest for Tennessee against the Crimson Tide since a 35-18 home triumph on Oct. 24, 1998.
    • Tennessee held Alabama to its fewest points in the rivalry since Oct. 22, 2005, when it put up six points in Tuscaloosa. The 10 points for the Crimson Tide marked its lowest total in a loss to the Volunteers since the aforementioned Oct. 21, 2000, home victory.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Team Offensive Notes

  • Tennessee posted 347 yards of offense in the victory, notching 150 on the ground and 197 through the air.
    • This is the 40th time in the Heupel era, including the third in 2026, the Volunteers have recorded 150-plus rushing yards and 190-plus passing yards in the same contest.
  • The Volunteers possessed the ball for over 59 percent of the contest, notching a 35:44 to 25:16 advantage.
  • Tennessee’s final non-kneeldown offensive drive, which ended with a touchdown with 3:17 remaining, took 9:32. It was the longest drive of the Heupel era.
    • The previous longest drive under Heupel was 8:47 on Oct. 8, 2022, at LSU, ending with a field goal in a 40-13 victory. Tennessee’s prior high in 2026 was 6:48 on Sept. 12 at Georgia Tech in a 45-24 decision.
  • The Volunteers conceded just two TFLs, including only one sack for two yards, across their 72 offensive plays.

Individual Offensive Notes

  • Senior RB DeSean Bishop finished with 32 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns on the day. He scored with 5:05 left in the third quarter and again with 3:17 remaining in the fourth.
    • The 32 carries and 159 yards both marked the second-highest totals of Bishop’s career.
    • Bishop’s touchdowns marked the 28th and 29th of his career, moving him into fifth place in Tennessee’s program history, passing Stanley Morgan who had 28 from 1973-76.
    • Bishop has now hit paydirt in 15 of the last 17 games, amassing 25 total touchdowns in that span. He has scored in 10 of the past 11 contests, with 17 total touchdowns.
    • This is the 10th time Bishop has scored multiple touchdowns in a single game, including the third time in 2026 and second in the last three outings.
      • In six of those 10 contests, Bishop has also exceeded 100 rushing yards.
    • Saturday marked the eighth 100-yard rushing effort of Bishop’s career. He has now reached triple digits in three consecutive games for the first time as a collegian.
  • Junior WR Mike Matthews racked up seven receptions for 85 yards against the Crimson Tide. The seven catches set a career best, while the 85 yards ranked as his fifth-highest total.
  • Sophomore QB George MacIntyre went 21-of-31 for 197 yards in the win, setting career bests in both completions and attempts.
  • Sophomore TE DaSaahn Brame reeled in three catches for 39 yards. The former tied his career high, while the latter was his second-best mark.

Team Defensive Notes

  • Tennessee held Alabama to 201 yards, the Crimson TIde’s sixth-lowest mark of the century, including its fourth-smallest figure against an SEC opponent.
    • The only time Alabama has been held to fewer yards in the last 18 seasons (2009-26) was on Jan. 1, 2026, when it had 193 against Indiana in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
    • The Crimson Tide had just 139 yards entering its final drive of the game with 3:12 left.
  • The Tennessee defense limited Alabama to 93 yards on 28 plays in nine first-half drives. The only touchdown it allowed was on a drive that started at the 14-yard-line. The Volunteers held the Crimson Tide to a 0-of-7 mark on third downs, as well as a 0-of-1 mark on fourth down. Alabama’s longest first-half drive was five plays.
  • On its first eight defensive possessions, Tennessee limited the visitors to 72 yards on 24 plays, including just nine via a 4-of-10 passing clip, good for 3.0 yards per play and 0.9 yards per pass attempt. It allowed only two first downs, while notching two fumble recoveries and an interception.
    • Five times on its first seven drives, Alabama gave the ball back to Tennessee—either via a turnover or a punt—following just three snaps. Its eighth drive featured a giveaway on the fourth snap.
      • Alabama registered 30 yards on 17 plays across its first five drives, four of which featured a three-and-out, while the other included just one first down, good for 1.8 yards per play. The Crimson Tide had negative yards after its first three drives, which respectively ended with a fumble, punt and interception.
  • The Volunteers stopped two fourth-and-one attempts by Alabama, each inside its own 40-yard-line, giving it seven fourth-down stops in a row to open the season. Alabama did convert on fourth-and-three, down by 16 points, in the final two minutes of the game.
    • In addition, Tennessee drew a false start on a would-be fourth-and-one effort by the Crimson Tide on its own 34-yard-line.
  • Saturday marked the first time this season multiple Tennessee players—senior LB Jeremiah Telander and junior DL Tyree Weathersby—recorded multiple sacks in the same contest.
    • This is just the fourth occurrence for the Volunteers in the last nine seasons (2018-26), all of which are during the Heupel era. The prior instances came on Sept. 27, 2025, against Mississippi State; Sept. 2, 2023, against Virginia in Nashville, Tenn.; and Dec. 30, 2022, against Clemson in Miami Gardens, Fla.
  • Tennessee became the third team in the last 11 seasons (2016-26) to force four turnovers against the Crimson Tide.
    • Auburn did so on Nov. 30, 2024, and Texas A&M did so on Oct. 8, 2022.
    • The last team to log multiple interceptions and multiple fumble recoveries against Alabama was Ole Miss on Sept. 9, 2015.
  • The Volunteers did not allow a drive of longer than 35 yards until the last four minutes of the contest, when ahead by 16 points. That 11-play, 62-yard drive by Alabama ended with a Tennessee interception.
    • That was also one of just two drives on which Alabama ran double-digit plays. It had a 10-play, 35-yard drive in the third quarter, which ended with a turnover on downs.
  • Tennessee held Alabama without a point in the second half and did not allow the Crimson Tide to even get inside the 25-yard-line.

Individual Defensive Notes

  • Senior LB Jeremiah Telander recorded the first forced fumble of his career on a sack-fumble inside the Alabama 20-yard-line in the first quarter.
    • Junior DL Tyree Weathersby came away with the ball, marking the second forced fumble of his career.
    • Telander added another sack on Tennessee’s first defensive snap of the fourth quarter, giving him the first multi-sack game of his career. The 2.0 TFLs also set a career best.
  • Junior DB Dejuan Lane tallied the fourth interception of his career, including his third in seven games as a Volunteer, late in the first quarter.
    • Lane added the first fumble recovery of his career late in the first half, stopping an Alabama drive at the Tennessee 11-yard-line.
    • He also had 1.5 TFLs, the second-highest total of his career, in the Tennessee victory.
  • Junior DL Tyree Weathersby amassed 2.5 TFLs, including two solo sacks, on the day. The former mark tied his career high.
  • Senior DB Kayin Lee clinched the victory with an interception in the end zone in the final minute of the game.

Special Teams Notes

  • In the first 25 minutes of the game alone, junior PK Cooper Ranvier tied his career high with four made field goals. He connected from 29, 33, 41 and 34 yards.
    • The last time a Volunteer made four field goals in a contest was on Nov. 9, 2024, when Max Gilbert did so against Mississippi State.
    • Ranvier had multiple made field goals in a game just once previously this season, a 2-of-2 showing in a Sept. 19 matchup with Kennesaw State.
    • Ranvier made both of his extra-point attempts versus Alabama, improving to 67-of-69 in his career. He is a perfect 27-of-27 in 2026.

Career Highs

The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:

Offense

Defense/Special Teams

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