Young, Robinson power No. 4 Alabama over Tennessee
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Bryce Young passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores, carrying No. 4 Alabama to a 52-24 victory Saturday night over traditional rival Tennessee.
Brian Robinson ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Crimson Tide (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) score 21 points in the first six-plus minutes of the final quarter.
That turned a mostly competitive game against the Volunteers (4-4, 2-3), fueled by Hendon Hooker's 282-yard passing performance, into another lopsided final score.
The result was Alabama's 15th consecutive win in the border rivalry, with the previous five having an average margin of 33 points.
Young, a leading Heisman Trophy candidate, completed 31 of 43 passes and turned five of his frequent scrambles into first downs or touchdowns.
John Metchie caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Jameson Williams gained 123 yards on six catches.
Hooker was 19-of-28 passing with three scores. But he had a fourth-quarter pass intercepted by Jalyn Armour-Davis, who returned it 47 yards to set up another 'Bama score.
Tennessee's Cedric Tillman had seven catches for 152 yards, including a 70-yard TD early in the fourth.
That came quickly after Young pump faked, then ran and dove over the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown to open the fourth for a 31-17 lead. He bobbled the ball near the goal line before falling on it.
Thirty seconds. Two scores.
Then Alabama struck again, with Young launching a 65-yard bomb to Jameson Williams. That set up Robinson's 15-yard touchdown that effectively quashed the Vols' upset hopes.
THE TAKEAWAY
Tennessee: Too many penalties (12 for 98 yards), too few rushing yards (64) is a hard combination to overcome against ‘Bama. But the Vols hadn't scored that many points against the Tide since a 51-43 overtime win in 2003.
Alabama: Got off to a sloppy start with a roughing the kicker penalty setting up a Vols touchdown and a fumble inside the Tennessee 10. But the defense stood firm on some key drives and the offense delivered plenty of big plays.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Alabama figures to stay put in the rankings with No. 2 Cincinnati and No. 3 Oklahoma both winning close games and top-ranked Georgia off.
UP NEXT
Tennessee visits No. 15 Kentucky.
Alabama has an open date before hosting LSU.
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