It happened again. Alabama football lost to Tennessee 24-17 in Knoxville on Saturday, and once the clock expired, mayhem erupted. Volunteer fans stormed the field at Neyland Stadium.
The field rush was the second in as many games in Knoxville for the Crimson Tide. Fans also rushed in 2022, when the Volunteers broke a long streak of losses to Alabama in the Third Saturday in October rivalry.
The rush will cost UT, not that athletics director Danny White and head coach Josh Heupel will mind. The Volunteers will pay a $100,000 fine for breaking the SEC’s competition area entry policy.
The fine is Tennessee’s first under the current SEC penalty structure. The rules were amended in 2023, which resulted in violation counts resetting.
Tennessee fans celebrate on the field after a 24-17 victory over Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Matt Stahl/al.com)AL.com
Currently a first offense costs $100,000, a second rush $250,000 and subsequent violations run $500,000 each. Tennessee’s last fine came under the 2015 structure, and was also a first offense for the Volunteers.
Saturday’s fine was the ninth incurred by an SEC team for its fans rushing the field after beating Alabama football, more than any other program in the league. Kentucky men’s basketball is second, with seven.
SEC field rush fines were originally implemented in 2004. They formerly went to the league’s post-graduate scholarship fund, but under the 2023 rule update, they are now paid directly to the losing institution, meaning UA will collect the check for Saturday’s field storming.
The Saturday was was the second time fans have taken the field after beating Alabama this season. Vanderbilt also incurred a fine after beating the Crimson Tide in Nashville.
The last time a team beat UA but did not rush the field came in 2010, at LSU.
