Oct. 26, 1996
One year before, Tennessee football had erased a decade-long unbeaten drought against Alabama with Peyton Manning. The Vols were already a bit disappointed this year, though, because after going 11-1 in 1995 and starting 1996 ranked No. 2, they lost to Florida for a fourth straight year, meaning they played the whole year knowing they couldn’t top 1995.
Still, they came into this game 4-1 and ranked No. 6, and with Peyton Manning, Jay Graham and Joey Kent, they had a collection of skill players expected to dominate. Alabama, meanwhile, started the year 7-0, and while they hadn’t played anybody, it was enough to get them up to No. 7 in the rankings.
Early on, the Tide looked like their undefeated record was legit. They built a 13-0 lead into the second half, selling out to stop the run and pressure Manning. Finally, Manning caught them on a blitz and hit Joey Kent for a score to get them on the board. Then he led them down the field for a game-tying score in the fourth quarter.
That big play and following big drive forced Alabama to play a bit more honest. In response, Jay Graham took a handoff 80 yards into the end zone to give Tennessee football a 20-13 lead. Leonard Little came away with a strip-sack to secure the win for the Vols.