KNOXVILLE — Alabama extended its winning streak in the rivalry series with Tennessee.
The Crimson Tide defeated Tennessee, 48-17, Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Redshirt senior Jarrett Guarantano was 13-of-24 for 162 yards with two touchdowns against Alabama. Tennessee sophomore Brian Maurer completed his only passing attempt for one yard against the Crimson Tide.
Following the contest, Alabama head coach Nick Saban discussed how his secondary responded to being tested by Tennessee’s passing attack.
“I think at times we did okay, but I think we gave up at least three big plays, maybe four,” Saban said of Alabama’s secondary. “They were running the ball a lot, and early in the game we weren’t stopping them running very well. So, we put pressure on the secondary. In the second half, though, we really shouldn’t have given up the plays because we were playing split-safety coverages.
“We’ll look at it and try to get it fixed, but you can’t give up explosive plays. We have to stop the run and not give up explosive plays. I thought the defense played better tonight. This is probably the best we played even though there were some plays in there that you could be critical of. I’m sure we’ll do everything we can to get them fixed, but I was kind of proud of the way the guys played. They played with a little more confidence. They were pretty aggressive overall.”
How Jeremy Pruitt and Nick Saban play STUBBIE and STUMP in split safety coverages