Tennessee proved against Alabama that it's not a one-hit wonder under Josh Heupel

Knoxville, Tenn. — A parade of fans came with fist bumps and selfie requests for athletic director Danny White. A Tennessee support staffer walked into the tunnel with a cigar in his hand and tears in his eyes.

Countless fans dug up the grass — especially the prized turf under the Power Tee at midfield and the orange checkerboards in the end zone — to take home as souvenirs. Patch some stuff in their pockets.

“Hey, they got cigars in there!” After No. 11 Tennessee beat No. 7 Alabama 24-17, some players screamed as they pointed to the locker room and jogged to find them.

A fan stopped on the field and made a video call to his father. Another fan, wearing checkerboard overalls, jumped over the wall and landed on the Neyland Stadium grass with both feet. A strap of his overalls was undone and a fresh cigar burned on his shoulder.

“We baaaaaaaaak!” he shouted.

Fans returned to the field to smoke another round of cigars two years after defeating Alabama snapped a 15-game losing streak to their rivals. Tennessee's playoff hopes were badly dented after a road loss to Arkansas earlier this month but buoyed by a win against a top-10 opponent.

In 2022, Tennessee reached No. 1 in the initial College Football Playoff selection committee rankings before losing to South Carolina and Georgia. Two years later, Josh Heupel's team looks capable of making sure the season at Rocky Top wasn't a one-hit wonder.

Despite going scoreless in the first half of three straight games for the first time since John F. Kennedy became president, the Vols offense, after another disastrous first half, managed to win another game.

“This program, when we walk on the field, we feel like we're good enough to win every Saturday,” Heupel said.

For much of the past two decades, that hasn't been the case — especially against Alabama. From 2007 until that night two seasons ago, Alabama had beaten Tennessee by less than 20 points just three times. It has beaten the Vols by more than 30 points eight times.

Alabama may no longer be the standard in college football, but it is a standard. And Tennessee endured another nightmare first half, playing poorly and winning anyway against a major rival ranked in the top 10. Nothing can be a sure sign of progress in the program.

And in an era of expanded 12-team playoffs, a night like Saturday makes Tennessee's road to a bracket spot much wider and lessens the impact of a shocking loss to Arkansas. A season like this doesn't count early wins, but the Vols have just two teams with winning records remaining on the schedule: Georgia and Vanderbilt.

“Our guys are aware. I wish I could put blinders on them,” Heupel said. “There's still some stuff on defense. Man, there's a lot of things on offense that we've got to clean up. Good teams are good. And this team needs to improve.”

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The good news for Tennessee's offensive tackle is that Saturday's halftime goose egg looked much more bleak than it did in the first half against Arkansas with 51 total yards and over 100 yards against Florida. Tennessee reached Alabama territory on four drives in the first half and entered the red zone twice, but it settled for two missed field goals, Dylan Sampson's first career fumble and quarterback Niko Imaleva's pass interception.

Iamaleava missed multiple open receivers that could have put Tennessee's quick-strike offense back on track with a haymaker touchdown, but instead, the Vols had 143 yards of offense at the half and trailed 7-0.

“I missed the shot to score,” Imaleva said. “If I hit it, it gets our offense flowing and we feel a whole different way. I would be good at that. But I'm proud of the way we came back.”

Tennessee outgained Alabama 408-314 after a 24-point second half and Sampson finished the game with 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“A win is a win in this league. The margin is tight,” Hupel said. “It wasn't very early — 102,000 watched it. Everyone is on TV. We did too. But it is not so far. That's why you have to appreciate it when it's going really well.”

Defense has been the Vols' most consistent strength. The Vols booed and harassed Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe between the whistles and the sellout crowd handled the rest, especially when the Crimson Tide needed a late touchdown to overturn the result.

“They were so loud on the last couple drives that they couldn't get their pass protection set,” linebacker Arion Carter said.

The Vols entered the night second nationally in defensive yards per game and had an astounding 12 quarterback hurries with three sacks, picking off Milrow twice and adding six more tackles for loss.

Tennessee is flawed. But watch a full day of college football: So does everyone else.

Tennessee's sudden, sharp offensive decline has been one of the most curious developments of the season, but its playoff hopes are still very much alive. And each game Iamaleava, a first-year starter, plays will bring more experience to the five-star prospect who returned to action after a back injury sidelined him for the first half.

The Vols didn't play well Saturday. However, they wrote another unforgettable chapter in one of the SEC's longest-running rivalries.

Near the end of Heupel's time with reporters after the game, he found himself in a coughing fit and stopped taking questions. It was cigars, he said.

“I'll go fight these guys any day,” Heupel said. “Another great night at Rocky Top.”

(Top photo: Brian Lynn / Icon Sportswear via Getty Images)