Saturday’s player of the game: Derrick Henry
Alabama running back Derrick Henry was the driving force behind the Crimson Tide’s victory over Tennessee.
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Fresh off a miraculous comeback against Georgia with a bye week that followed, Tennessee fell to the mighty Crimson Tide of Alabama in Tuscaloosa 19-14 on Saturday.
Although the Vols fought valiantly, their performance was riddled with mistakes often made by a team full of freshmen and sophomores. It was Tennessee’s fourth loss of the
year, however, all the Vols losses this season have been by seven points or less. Tennessee held a lead with just 5:49 left in the game.
But Alabama responded with a 71-yard drive that featured a heavy dose of its All-SEC running back Derrick Henry, capped with a 14-yard touchdown run. It was Henry’s second of the day and already his 14th of the season, ranking second in the conference behind Heisman Trophy frontrunner Leonard Fournette at LSU.
Henry, a junior, crossed the thousand yard mark for the first time in his career. He is the fastest running back to reach that mark for the Tide since Mark Ingram in 2009, who won the Heisman Trophy.
Henry also provided the only consistent option on offense for Alabama Saturday, receiving 28 carries. This was due in large part to Tennessee’s defensive line constantly pressuring Tide quarterback Jake Coker.
Luckily for both Coker and Henry, they receive a timely bye week of their own as they gear up for the de facto SEC West championship game against the LSU.
With the bulk of its schedule in the rear view mirror, Tennessee looks to bounce back from its loss against a struggling Wildcats team on Halloween night.
Edited by Cody McClure
Dominic is in his second year writing on staff at TNJN. Along with being a staff writer, he also covers the UT men's basketball beat. He is currently a senior at the University of Tennessee majoring in Journalism and Electronic Media. Follow him @dominiclobianco on Twitter!
