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

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A parade of fans showed up with fist bumps and selfie requests for athletic director Danny White. A support worker from Tennessee entered the tunnel with a cigar in his hand and tears in his eyes.

Scores of fans dug up grass — particularly the most valuable turf beneath the Power T at midfield and the orange checkerboard in the end zone — to take home as souvenirs. Some put patches in their pockets.

“Hey, there's cigars in there!” a few players shouted as they pointed to the locker room and jogged to find them after No. 11 Tennessee beat No. 7 Alabama 24-17.

One fan stopped as soon as he walked onto the field and FaceTimed his father. Another fan, dressed in a checkerboard jumpsuit, jumped over the wall and landed with both feet on the Neyland Stadium turf. A strap on his overalls was unbuckled and he had a fresh cigar burn on his shoulder.

“We’re baaaaaaaaaack!” he shouted.

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Fans are back on the field to smoke another round of cigars after defeating Alabama, two years after suffering a 15-game loss to their rivals. Tennessee's playoff hopes were badly damaged after a road loss to Arkansas earlier this month, but will be boosted by a win against a top-10 opponent.

In 2022, Tennessee reached No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's initial rankings before losses to South Carolina and Georgia kept the Vols out of contention. Two years later, Josh Heupel's team appears to be able to ensure that the season on Rocky Top wasn't a one-hit wonder.

And the Vols' offense still managed to win another game after another disastrous first half, despite going scoreless in the first half of three straight games for the first time since John F. Kennedy's presidency.

“When we walk on the field in this program, we feel like we’re good enough to win every Saturday,” Heupel said.

Tennessee has won two straight against Alabama at Neyland Stadium. (Butch Dill/Getty Images)

For much of the past two decades, that hasn’t been the case — especially against Alabama. From 2007 to this night two seasons ago, Alabama beat Tennessee by fewer than 20 points just three times. It beat 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 in the first half, playing poorly and still winning against a major rival ranked in the top 10. Nothing could be a surer sign of progress in the program.

And in the era of expanded, 12-team playoffs, a night like Saturday makes Tennessee's path to a spot in the bracket much broader and lessens the impact of a shocking loss like the one against Arkansas. In a season like this, no victory can be counted in advance, but the Vols only have two teams with winning records left on the schedule: Georgia and Vanderbilt.

“Our guys are aware of it. I wish I could put blinders on them,” Heupel said. “There are still some things on defense. Man, there are a lot more things we need to figure out on offense. Good teams get better. And this team has to continue to improve.”

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The good news for Tennessee's offensive woes is that the Goose Egg looked a lot rougher at halftime on Saturday than it did when it had 51 total yards in the first half against Arkansas and just over 100 yards against Florida. Tennessee reached Alabama territory on four first-half drives and crossed the red zone twice, but it settled for two missed field goals, the first fumble of Dylan Sampson's career and an interception on a pass that quarterback Nico Iamaleava attempted to throw away.

Iamaleava missed several open receivers who could have gotten Tennessee's rushing offense back on track with Haymaker touchdowns, but instead the Vols had 143 yards of offense at halftime and trailed 7-0.

“I missed the shot to score,” Iamaleava said. “When I hit that, it gets our offense going and we feel completely different. I have to be better at this. But I’m proud of the way we bounced back.”

After a 24-point second half, Tennessee outscored Alabama 408 to 314, and Sampson finished the game with 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“Wins are wins in this league. “The margins are tight,” said Heupel. “It wasn’t that early – 102,000 saw it. Everyone on TV. We did it too. But it's not that far. That’s why you have to appreciate it when things go really well.”

Defense is the Vols' most consistent force. The Vols harassed and harassed Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe between whistles, and the sellout crowd did the rest, especially when the Crimson Tide needed a touchdown late to overturn the result.

“It was so loud the last couple drives that they couldn't adjust their pass protection,” linebacker Arion Carter said.

The Vols entered the game ranked second nationally in defensive yards per play and forced an astonishing 12 quarterback hurries with three sacks, sacking Milroe twice and contributing six more tackles for a loss.

Tennessee is flawed. But watch a full day of college football: the same goes for everyone else.

Tennessee's sudden, sharp offensive decline was one of the strangest developments of the season, but its playoff hopes are still very much alive. And every game that Iamaleava, a freshman starter, plays brings more experience for the former five-star prospect, who returned to the game after a back injury that sidelined him for one appearance in the first half.

The Vols didn't play well on Saturday. They've already written another unforgettable chapter in one of the SEC's longest rivalries.

Near the end of his time with reporters after the game, Heupel began a coughing fit and took a break to answer questions. It was the cigar, he said.

“I’m going to fight with these guys every day,” Heupel said. “Another great night on Rocky Top.”

(Top photo: Bryan Lynn / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)