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Josh Heupel and Tennessee were over the moon after the Volunteers stunned the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 26-10 on Saturday afternoon.
Heupel has been a head coach in college football since 2018, going through his sixth season with the Volunteers. He shines as one of the best coaches in the country, looking to lead Tennessee to a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
Tennessee entered the game with a 5-1 record. They opened the season with a dominant 56-9 win over Furman. After beating Georgia Tech 45-24 and Kennesaw State 42-9, they took a step back after falling 20-17 to the then-No. 1 Texas Longhorns. They bounced back with wins over the Auburn Tigers (24-14) and the Arkansas Razorbacks (24-17).
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They now pick up their sixth victory, securing bowl eligibility in the process. The cherry on top was the ranked win over Alabama, which Heupel and the squad didn’t hesitate to celebrate by smoking some victory cigars in the locker room.
it's a party pic.twitter.com/FZ8HYWExf9
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 18, 2026
How Josh Heupel, Tennessee performed against Alabama
Josh Heupel and the Volunteers definitely strengthened their case for the CFP. Their convincing home run against Alabama only stacks their resume with a big conference win in the SEC.
Alabama scored all of its points in the second quarter, only trailing 12-10 against Tennessee. The Volunteers took full control and never looked back with touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters.
George MacIntyre didn’t have an ideal performance, but he got attention to his receivers. He completed 21 out of 31 passes for 197 yards and an interception.
DeSean Bishop dominated Alabama’s run defense. He has 31 of Tennessee’s 41 rushes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Matthews led receivers with seven catches for 85 yards, while DeSaahn Brame caught three passes for 39 yards.
The No. 11 Volunteers will look forward to their next matchup, being on the road. They take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 8 as kickoff commences on Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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