After 15 years of being a rival to Alabama in name only, Tennessee snapped a humbling losing streak, stamped itself a championship contender and celebrated in spectacular fashion.
Chase McGrath made a 40-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 6 Tennessee a 52-49 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday.
As soon as the kick knuckle-balled through the uprights, some of the more than 100,000 fans stormed the field to join the party as the Volunteers (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) ended a 15-game drought to the Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1).
Fireworks went off over Neyland Stadium and it glowed orange as the song “Dixieland Delight” by the band Alabama — a Crimson Tide favorite — blared over the stadium speakers.
And it didn’t take long for the goal posts to go down.
“This is college football at its absolute best,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said. “We were the best team on the field tonight. That’s all we can control.”
