Postgame Notes: #17/15 Tennessee 20, #11/8 Alabama 34

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Oct. 21, 2023 | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Bryant-Denny Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 17/15 Tennessee 20, No. 11/8 Alabama 34

General Notes

Saturday's attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium: 100,077
- The Vols are one of five FBS teams to play in front of a sellout crowd in every game this season, joining Colorado, Georgia, Iowa and Notre Dame.
Tennessee's all-time on-field record fell to 872-412-53 with Saturday's loss (NCAA record: 861-412-53).
Saturday marked the 106th meeting between Tennessee and Alabama and the 16th matchup in Tuscaloosa.
- Alabama leads the all-time series 60-39-7 with a 12-4 record at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
- The two teams have played every season since 1928 with the exception of 1943 (World War II - no season).
Saturday's game marked the 20th Tennessee-Alabama contest televised by CBS, including seven of the last nine meetings in the series since 2015.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Tennessee's team captains for Saturday's game: LB Aaron Beasley, RB Dylan Sampson, DT Omari Thomas, RS Dee Williams
Alabama won the toss, elected to defer to the second half and defended the north end zone. Tennessee received the opening kickoff.

Team Offensive Notes

Tennessee held a 20-7 edge over Alabama at the end of the first half, representing Alabama's largest halftime deficit since trailing 24-10 at Texas A&M on Oct. 9, 2021.
- It was Alabama's largest halftime deficit at home since being down 33-13 vs. LSU on Nov. 9, 2019.
The Vols scored 10 points off turnovers in the first half, capitalizing on a forced fumble with a Charles Campbell 26-yard field goal and turning an interception into a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive capped by McCallan Castles' receiving TD with 12 seconds left in the second quarter.
Tennessee led Alabama, 13-0, at the end of the first quarter. Under Josh Heupel (2021-present), the Vols have outscored opponents 396-139 in the first quarter, including 65-26 this season.
- Against the Crimson Tide, Heupel's Vols have scored 48 points in the first quarter (16.0 avg) from 2021-23, compared to UT's 37 first-quarter points against Alabama from 2005-20 (2.3 avg).
The Vols engineered an 8-play, 75-yard scoring series on its opening drive, capped by a 39-yard touchdown pass from Joe Milton III to Squirrel White to take an early 7-0 lead.
- UT has scored a touchdown on its opening offensive drive in five of seven games this season.

Individual Offensive Notes

WR Squirrel White posted his fourth career 100-plus yard receiving game (second this season), finishing with a career-high 10 receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown.
White hauled in his first touchdown of the season and third of his career with a spectacular 39-yard grab at the pylon with 12:39 remaining in the first quarter.
- The sophomore slot receiver had four catches for 58 yards on UT's opening drive, surpassing his full game totals from last week's victory vs. Texas A&M (three catches, 29 yards).
TE McCallan Castles pulled in his second touchdown of the season at the end of the first half with a six-yard scoring catch.
- Combining with fellow sixth-year senior Jacob Warren, Tennessee's tight end tandem has scored touchdowns in five of seven games this season.

Team Defensive Notes

Tennessee won the turnover battle for the fourth time this season, 2-1, with a fumble recovery and interception in the first half.
The Vols posted four sacks in the game to match their season average of 4.0 that entered the game ranking second in the SEC and third in the FBS.

Individual Defensive Notes

DB Tamarion McDonald finished the game with a career-best 10 total tackles, logging UT's first double-digit tackling effort of the season.
DB Jaylen McCollough grabbed his first interception of the season with 3:10 left in the second quarter, snaring a red zone opportunity for the Tide as he pulled in a tipped pass by Doneiko Slaughter in the back of the end zone.
- It was McCollough's fourth career pick and first since Oct. 9, 2021 vs. South Carolina.
DE James Pearce Jr. forced the game's first takeaway with a strip sack late in the first quarter, good for his first career forced fumble. DT Omarr Norman-Lott pounced on the ball for his first career fumble recovery.

Special Teams Notes

P Jackson Ross set the Tennessee single-game record for punting average (min. 5 punts), booting the ball five times for 266 yards for an average of 53.2.
- The previous record of 53.0 was established twice by Jimmy Colquitt (vs. Auburn, 1983; at LSU, 1982).
- Ross' average was boosted by a career-long 71-yard punt in the fourth quarter, which was the longest punt by a Vol since Joe Doyle also had a 71-yarder against Georgia on Sept. 29, 2018.
PK Charles Campbell made field goal attempts of 24 and 26 yards in the first quarter. The graduate transfer has made 11-of-13 kicks this season, including 11-of-11 from inside 50 yards.

Career Highs

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

Offense

TE McCallan Castles
- 2 receptions (ties career high)
- 1 receiving touchdown (ties career high)
WR Ramel Keyton
- 5 receptions (ties career high)
QB Joe Milton III
- 28 completions (UT career high)
- 41 pass attempts (UT career high)
- 271 passing yards (UT career high)
- 15 rushing attempts
RB Dylan Sampson
- 2 receptions (ties career high)
WR Squirrel White
- 10 receptions
- 1 receiving touchdown (ties career high)
RB Jaylen Wright
- 7 receptions
- 44 receiving yards
- 20-yard long reception

Defense/Special Teams

DL Bryson Eason
- 2 quarterback hurries
LB Elijah Herring
- 8 tackles (ties career high)
DB Gabe Jeudy-Lally
- 1 sack (first of career)
- 1 tackle for loss (ties career high)
DL Joshua Josephs
- 1 sack (ties career high)
- 1 tackle for loss (ties career high)
DB Jaylen McCollough
- 1 interception (ties career high)
DB Tamarion McDonald
- 10 tackles
DT Omarr Norman-Lott
- 1 fumble recovery
- 1 sack (ties career high)
DE James Pearce Jr.
- 1 forced fumble
P Jackson Ross
- 266 punting yards (ties career high)
- 53.2 punting average (single-game program record)
- 71-yard long punt
- 2 punts 50+ yards (ties career high)

University of Tennessee Athletics