Tennessee vs. Alabama by the numbers: Craziest stats behind Volunteers’ upset over Crimson Tide

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College football might have just received the game of the year.

Fans were treated to a thrilling clash between No. 3 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee in the latest edition of the “Third Saturday in October.”

When Alabama returned a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to take the lead, it might have felt to the Volunteer fans in the crowd that this was going to be yet another Crimson Tide win in the series. The Volunteers had led the game 28-10 at one point, only to watch that advantage fall apart in the third quarter.

But Hendon Hooker led Tennessee on back-to-back scoring drives to end the game, first a game-tying touchdown with 3:26 left and then, after a missed Alabama field goal, taking the offense down the field in the last 15 seconds to set up a game-winning 40-yard walk-off field goal from Chase McGrath to give Tennessee the 52-49 win.

MORE: Tennessee downs Alabama with last-second field goal

In a slugfest between two high-powered offenses, there were plenty of impressive stats that came from the matchup. Here’s a look at some of the craziest numbers.

Tennessee vs. Alabama by the numbers

Losing streak snapped

While it wasn’t exactly a stat from the game, it has to be mentioned. Tennessee had lost 15 straight games in a rivalry that had become lopsided during the Nick Saban-era at Alabama.

The Crimson Tide had won 15 straight games against Tennessee. It was the longest winning streak in the rivalry, and the third-longest active winning streak between SEC teams in college football, per ESPN Stats and Info.

That streak is now over. And with the win, Tennessee added its 38th all-time win against Alabama. No college football program has beaten the Crimson Tide more than the Volunteers.

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Jalin Hyatt’s huge day

Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt had a historic day for Tennessee.

The Volunteers’ top receiver caught six passes for 207 yards. Of those six catches, five ended with him in the end zone.

The five touchdown receptions set a Volunteers’ program record for the most in a game. According to data from Play Index, the 207 receiving yards are tied for the third-most against Alabama since 2000. It is the first time a player caught five touchdowns against the Crimson Tide.

Hendon Hooker Heisman moment?

Picking up a win against the No. 3 team in the nation will draw plenty of attention to any quarterback. But Hendon Hooker has already been in the spotlight for much of the season.

Hooker came into Saturday’s contest with 1,432 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, no picks, 231 rushing yards on 45 attempts with three rushing touchdowns.

He only added to that line on Saturday. Against the Crimson Tide, he threw his first interception of the season, but he also threw for a season-high 385 yards and five touchdowns, while completing 21-of-30 passes. He also rushed 14 times for 56 yards.

Only one quarterback in the Saban era has thrown for at least 350 yards with five touchdowns: Johnny Manziel in 2013. This performance will certainly put Hooker’s name fully in the Heisman conversation.

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And his counterpart didn’t play so bad himself. Bryce Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, completed 35-of-52 passes for 455 yards with a pair of touchdowns. It was the first time under Saban an Alabama quarterback has thrown for at least 450 yards and lost the game.

Highest scoring rivalry matchup

Back in 2003, it took five overtimes for the Tennessee-Alabama clash to reach a final score of 51-43, with Tennessee winning the game. That combined score equaled 94 points.

This matchup of high-powered offenses resulted in 101 total points. That is now the new record for most combined points between the two teams, surpassing that 2003 total.

MORE: What Alabama’s loss means for Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan

Tennessee’s 52 points are also tied for the third-most points scored by either team in the history of the rivalry. Last year, Alabama won 52-24. The most points scored came from Alabama in the 2018 in a 58-21 win. The second-most points also came from Alabama in a 56-28 win in 1986.

Alabama’s penalty problem

Coming into the contest, Alabama already had a problem with penalties. The Crimson Tide entered the game tied for the 12th-most penalties per game at 8.2. That number isn’t going down after this contest.

Alabama set a program record for the most penalties in a game with 17 for 130 yards. The total penalty count is also the second-most by a team this season (18 by Syracuse in Week 1) and marks the second time Alabama has had at least 15 penalties in a game in 2022. The Crimson Tide had never before under Saban tallied 15 penalties in a game.

Those high penalty numbers aren’t likely to go over well with the Crimson Tide head coach.

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