Alabama beat Tennessee score: Storming back in second half, Tide appear to be legit SEC title contenders.

No. 11 Alabama rallied from a 13-point deficit to crush Tennessee 34-20, avenging an instant-classic 2022 loss to the Volunteers and extending its home winning streak in the rivalry to 10 games.

Tennessee led 13-0 early and 20-7 at halftime before the Crimson Tide exploded in the third quarter, thriving in all phases of the game as the Volunteers wilted before an elated crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe bounced back from a rough second-half outing against Arkansas last week with a sterling third-quarter performance as he found Isaiah Bond for a 46-yard touchdown on Bama's second offensive play of the second half.

The Crimson Tide's defense did its part from there by holding Tennessee to just 37 yards and a single first down in the third quarter as Alabama outscored its foe SEC East foe 17-0 in the frame.

Alabama kicker Will Reichard remained perfect on the season with makes of 42 and 50 yards in the second half. The Tide defense put an exclamation point on the victory with Jihaad Campbell's 24-yard scoop-and-score following Chris Braswell's strip sack of Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton with 7:26 remaining.

After a 34-24 home loss to Texas on Sept. 9 and a lackluster 17-3 win at South Florida the following week, Alabama fell to No. 13 in the AP Top 25, which was its lowest ranking since September 2015. While double-digit victories over Ole Miss and Mississippi State to close September helped right the ship, narrow wins against struggling division foes Texas A&M and Arkansas to begin October did little to inspire confidence.

What's Next

The Crimson Tide are now 7-1 (5-0 SEC) and still in solo possession of first place in the SEC West. They are off next week before hosting LSU.

Tennessee fell to 5-2 (2-2 SEC) in advance of a trip to Kentucky next week that will require the Vols to eradicate their road woes. In a September loss at Florida and in Saturday's defeat, Tennessee led 7-0 early before getting blasted from there while struggling with penalties.

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