Alabama edges Tennessee on blocked field goal

TUSCALOOSA — Like the bad guest that wouldn’t go home, Tennessee did everything it could to ruin Alabama’s party on Saturday.

Terrence Cody finally had enough. He stretched and sent the Vols packing with two blocked fourth-quarter field goals — the second as time expired — to preserve Alabama’s 12-10 victory and its 8-0 start to the season.

“It was game time,” Cody said after his last-play heroics ignited pandemonium in the crowd of 90,212, save the few thousand wearing orange. “If they would have made that field goal, the game would have been over and the season would have been over.”

Top-ranked Alabama has won games this season with its offense — its scored at least 34 points in each of its first five games — and its defense — it hadn’t given up a touchdown in its last two games. But the often maligned special teams absolutely saved the Crimson Tide from an upset to one of its biggest rivals.

Leigh Tiffin was 4-for-4 on field goals — including kicks of 50 and 49 yards — and Cody’s two blocked field goals “were the difference in the game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

“I just knew we had to make a play. I had to make a play,” Cody said. “We couldn’t wait on anybody else to make a play.”

Saban sounded as shocked as anyone that it came down to a final play. An unlikely fumble, a defensive breakdown and an onside kick recovery turned what minutes earlier looked like a comfortable Alabama victory into an instant classic.

“It shows you, you talk about how fragile a season is in terms of controlling the game,” Saban said. “We’re still leading 12-3 and in total control of the game with 3:29 left — and we’ve got the ball.”

But Mark Ingram fumbled at the Alabama 43. Eight plays later, Jonathan Crompton hit a wide open Gerald Jones on an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:19 remaining, making it 12-10.

Daniel Lincoln perfectly executed the onside kick, and Tennessee’s Denarius Moore recovered for the Vols.

Crompton hit Jones for 14 yards to the Alabama 45 with 1:02 left. An illegal procedure penalty backed Tennessee up five yards before an incompletion. Crompton then zipped a strike to tight end Luke Stocker down the middle. Stocker made a tough catch for a 23-yard gain and a first down at the 27.

The Vols ran a play, then spiked the ball to kill the clock with four seconds remaining.

“That’s how fragile a season can be,” Saban said. “Make one mistake, and you have to go overcome it.”

Cody did. Playing in what Saban called “max block,” Cody lined up next to Marcel Dareus and Rolando McClain. Alabama’s best bull rushers are supposed to penetrate as much as possible — then Julio Jones runs behind them and leaps as high as he can.

The kick didn’t reach Jones.

“I got a good jump off the line, pushed the guy back and just stuck my arm up,” Cody said.

Bedlam.

It was a stunning ending for everyone but Tiffin. He’s faced “max block” enough times in practice to know he wouldn’t want to go against it with a game on the line.

“I expected we would block it,” Tiffin said. “If Julio times it up right, I don’t know if anybody could get it over him. I’m being dead serious. That’s like 13 feet high and they’re five, six yards from you? That’s an almost impossible trajectory to reach, if he times it right.

“And I knew our line would get a great push because they do it all the time. ... They’re great. I don’t know if anybody could make one in that situation if they time it up perfectly. I don’t know who could do it.”

Lincoln couldn’t, to the dismay of the upset-minded Vols.

“It’s a difficult loss to deal with,” Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin said. “You come into a hostile environment and play the No. 1 team in the country ... and outgain them I think by over 100 yards and miss three field goals.”

Lincoln has not fully recovered from a quad injury from earlier this season.

“We’ve got to do a better job up front for penetration because he doesn’t have the big leg right now,” Kiffin said. “He can’t kick the ball up high.”

Tiffin made his field goals without the tape South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier complained about this week.

“There’s nothing like the satisfaction you get from performing well doing something you work hard at,” Tiffin said.

His 50-yard field goal broke a 3-3 tie with 7:54 left in the second quarter. The 49-yarder came with 6:31 remaining in the game and gave the Tide a two-score cushion at 12-3.

“For whatever reason I’ve always been pretty good at the long ones,” Tiffin said. “I go out there with the mindset that there’s really not a whole lot to lose. People don’t really expect you to make it anyway. Maybe also I focus a little harder. I’m not sure.”

Both long kicks didn’t clear the crossbar by much on a day when the ball didn’t carry very well.

“Actually, the second one felt better,” he said. “For whatever reason, neither of them were exceptionally strong kicks, but they went in there.”

First quarter
1:22 Alabama 3, Tennessee 0: Leigh Tiffin 38-yard field goal. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards, 3:24. Key play: Alabama went to the wildcat formation for the first time and Mark Ingram gained 25 yards on his second carry, though the Tide was penalized 10 yards for a block in the back penalty. McElroy also passed three times to Julio Jones on the drive, the second time drawing a pass interference penalty for a first down at the UT 27.

Second quarter
11:38 Alabama 3, Tennessee 3: Daniel Lincoln 24-yard field goal. 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:44. Key play: Two Jonathan Crompton slant passes — the first to Montario Hardesty for 27 yards to Alabama’s 41, the second to Denarius Moore for 19 yards on third-and-8 at the Alabama 27 — put the Vols in position to tie the game.

7:54 Alabama 6, Tennessee 3: Tiffin 50-yard field goal. 8 plays, 22 yards, 3:44. Key play: Terry Grant’s 30-yard kickoff return gave Alabama good field position at its own 45. Trent Richardson rushed right tackle for five yards on a third-and-2 at the Tennessee 35.

1:11 Alabama 9, Tennessee 3: Tiffin 22-yard field goal. 13 plays, 64 yards, 5:36. Key play: One play after he took a shot while completing a third-and-1 third-down pass to Baron Huber for four yards, McElroy threw a strike to Marquis Maze down the seam of the defense for a first down at the Tennessee 12.

Fourth quarter
6:31 Alabama 12, Tennessee 3: Tiffin 49-yard field goal. 7 plays, 31 yards, 4:02. Key play: Terrence Cody’s first blocked field goal set the Tide up at its 37. A quarterback draw out of an empty backfield by McElroy gained 12 yards to Tennessee 38.

1:19 Alabama 12, Tennessee 10: Gerald Jones 11-yard reception from Jonathan Crompton (Lincoln PAT). 8 plays, 43 yards, 2:10. Key play: Mark Ingram’s fumble put the Vols on the Tide 43 with 3:29 left.