This is an opinion column.
The streak lives.
That’s the ultimate grasp for something positive from Alabama’s third straight poor performance. The number is 9.
Beating the Crimson Tide is still worthy of a field storm and a $100,000 fine, Tennessee fans decided Saturday night. It was the ninth straight time fans penetrated the playing field after Alabama lost a road game — a streak that began with the 2013 Iron Bowl.
How much longer that feat warrants that postgame emotional release is the real question.
While we may have requested a recalibration of perspective when viewing the 2024 Crimson Tide, there are limits to understanding.
Realistically, what happened Saturday in Knoxville can viewed in a number of ways.
Alabama lost a 24-17 game to its archrival Tennessee, leaving Knoxville in defeat for a second straight time. This one, however, wasn’t like the 52-49 shootout from two years ago.
This one was more medieval.
There was an old-school, undisciplined and understandably frustrating for a fanbase this team’s taken to the sauna. They’re sweating out the toxins of expectations seeded not just from the generational run this program made but from the first half of the Georgia game three short weeks ago.
It’s not just about losing a game.
This is about the repeating issues that have plagued this team since taking that stunning 28-0 lead over the Bulldogs. These appear to be issues baked into this team in transition — not necessarily unique to 2024 but reason for legitimate concern.
Take the penalty issue, for example.
Alabama threatened to break a school record Saturday after recording 10 first-half infractions. It fell two short of the mark set two years ago in that same stadium, but the Tide nearly doubled its weekly average of 7.8 that already ranked 112th among 134 FBS teams. It’s the third double-digit penalty day through seven games.
Or the way Tennessee bullied Alabama in the second half on the ground. The Vols had just 44 rushing yards in the first half — with leading rusher Dylan Sampson accounting for 20 of his 35 on one play. Well, the Vols came out from the break and ran it 29 times for 170 yards.
Sampson finished with 139 yards on 26 carries as the Vols rushed for 5.0 yards per carry. That’s a season-high allowance for a Tide defense that gave up 3.07 yards per attempt in the previous loss at Vanderbilt.
Then there’s the third-down problem.
Tennessee converted 5 of the 9 it faced in the second half after being shut out for a third straight week in the first 30 minutes. The Tide defense couldn’t take the blame for the first two quarters as it held the Vols to 143 yards and swiped three turnovers.
But the dam broke on Tennessee’s second drive of the third quarter. A sudden seven-play, 91-yard drive looked easy. It was keyed by a 36-yard Sampson run, then a 27-yard scramble from Nico Iamaleava.
The Vols never got to a third down on that first touchdown drive. The second one included a 55-yard pass when facing third-and-six from the Vols’ 42-yard line.
Tennessee then took the lead for good on third-and-five from the Tide 16 when Iamaleava hit Chris Brazzell for the touchdown.
Quarterback play wasn’t so efficient for Alabama. Jalen Milroe had his second straight two-interception game by averaging 5.4 yards per second-half attempt. The senior targeted freshman Ryan Williams 18 times — 12 more than the next-highest total — while completing eight for 73 yards and one touchdown.
The running game wasn’t there for Milroe, either. After rolling up 117 rushing yards against Georgia, the QB has netted just 58 ground yards on 39 attempts in the three games since.
Bottom line: Alabama’s just looked average at best since building that huge lead against Georgia.
They look normal, unspectacular and clearly beatable.
Two losses before November for the first time since Saban’s first season is a sobering reality given all that happened since.
They’re flawed yet still in the hunt for a playoff bid that would’ve been impossible before the 12-team field was introduced for this season.
But there’s zero room for error now and few, justifiably so, believe this team can navigate the next five games unblemished.
No. 19 Missouri’s next up in Tuscaloosa but the real test awaits Nov. 9 at LSU. A win there paired with that September win over a Georgia team that just slayed No. 1 Texas would give a two-loss Tide an iron-clad case.
But a loss would be an eliminator.
And a test of the streak.
A 2010 Alabama loss in Baton Rouge was the last field-rush-free road defeat.
Would another mean enough for LSU fans to bother leaving their seats?
Or will the streak die?
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
