High school freshmen haven’t been alive long enough to see Tennessee football beat Alabama
By Josh Hill
It’s been a very long time since Tennessee decided it wanted to show up against Alabama.
The Third Saturday in October has been one that Tennessee Volunteer fans have made a habit of blacking out rather than circling on their calendar. The rivalry with the Alabama Crimson Tide, one that dates back to 1901, may be storied but it’s been a very long time since it was anything other than one-sided.
Tennessee got thumped by Alabama for the 14th consecutive year on Saturday, bringing shame to Rocky Top and furthering a downward spiral otherwise known as the Vols’ 2020 season.
Not only is the streak now ad 14 straight games, but it is the longest streak in the rivalry’s history — which you don’t need a mathematics degree from either school to know isn’t good.
When was the last time Tennessee beat Alabama?
The short answer is a long time.
Tennessee last beat Alabama was all the way back in 2006. Nick Saban wasn’t even coaching college football, “SexyBack” was the top song on the charts, and moviegoers could not only attend movies but had the choice of going to see Jackass Number Two or The Prestige. George W. Bush was president, LeBron James hadn’t been to an NBA Finals yet, and we were anxiously waiting for the final episode of The Sopranos to air later in the upcoming spring. High school freshmen haven’t been alive long enough to witness the last Vols win in the rivalry and college freshman have barely been alive long enough to remember the last time Tennessee won in Tuscaloosa.
Simply put, it’s been a minute.
It’s also been a very long time since Tennessee was actually competitive in the rivalry. That last win was a three-point nail biter. Outside of a few close games, the Vols have been out-scored 537-177. Only four times since 2006 has Tennessee scored more than 14-points and only once has it scored more than 20 points (the Vols got lost 34-20 back in 2014 so if we’re counting that, then it’s a whopping two times).
To say it’s been one-sided is to be a little too kind.
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