The talk of the town today is no question going to be how the Tennessee defense was able to stifle Alabama's offense and keep the Crimson Tide from getting into a groove. Jim Knowles was in his bag, as the kids say, to make Bama's offense look totally off in a 26-10 Vols win, which is not what a lot of people were expecting ahead of kickoff.
For stud quarterback Keelon Russell, this had to be a bit of a humbling experience for him. For the majority of the season, he had looked like a Heisman contender. Against the Vols? Not so much. Russell was held to just 147 passing yards and two interceptions.
Sure, he had a rushing TD, but Russell knew that he simply wasn't good enough in a big-time matchup. No one can blame him for feeling like this:
"I mean, we just put it on ourselves," Russell said via Brett Greenberg after the loss. "I mean, we can't do what we did today. You know, we turned the ball over three, four times, and me, I had a horrible game. Just putting it all on myself. Couldn't even lead my guys down the field past the 50 (yard line). I had careless turnovers and the last one was just like 'what the hell is Keelon doing?' so we just can't do what we did going forward."
Alabama QB Keelon Russell: “Me, I had a horrible game. I put it all on myself. I couldn’t even lead my team down the field.”
— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) October 17, 2026
Tennessee DC Jim Knowles kept Keelon Russell in check all game
Russell also immediately gave credit to the Tennessee defense for being aggressive and getting in his face. That was the theme of the day for the Vols, forcing Russell to throw his two INTs, while a first-half fumble from the standout quarterback was also posted.
Everyone on defense for Tennessee was flying around to get a body on him, which was incredible to see. EDGE Tyree Weathersby and Jeremiah Telander led the way with two sacks. Weathersby in particular has been sensational this year, quietly, as he now leads the team with 6.5 sacks on the season.
Russell got a first-hand look at how dominant the Vols can be up front, and Alabama fans were left quite frustrated with the rough play of the offensive line, too. Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed about, especially when Tennessee brings its A game to the table like this.
"They were aggressive," Russell added. "They, you know, came out to a good start. Kudos to them. They had you know, a great defense, but I just got to play better as an offensive player. I just feel like I wasn't making the right reads, making the right plays, and getting the ball downfield."
With this victory, Tennessee is now 6-1 on the year, and barring a shocker, the Vols should be in the Top 10 once the new AP Top 25 Poll comes out.
On the other side of things, the Tuscaloosa boys are 5-2, and frustration is mounting. Russell knows his guys have to step up their level of play moving forward, but that's nothing for Tennessee to be concerned about. UT will shift its focus to South Carolina, where Knowles will look to give LaNorris Sellers the same issues Russell just had to deal with.
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