TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Denarius Moore had done all he could against the nation's No. 1 football team. Tennessee's junior wideout had just caught four passes against Alabama for 73 yards, the top yardage on the team.

He also had recovered the Vols' onside kick with 1:19 to play, the one that gave them a final chance at victory on enemy soil.

Alas, it wasn't enough. Two passes from senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton in Moore's general direction fell incomplete. Then Bama blocked its second Daniel Lincoln field-goal try of the final period -- a block to elevate the Crimson Tide to 8-0, a block to drop the Vols to 3-4 after this 12-10 loss heading into this Saturday night's hosting of South Carolina.

But Moore wasn't as down as some might have thought.

"Personally, I'm mad we lost," he said. "But I'm also happy that we sent out a message that we're the hardest working group out there. We are not going to give up no matter who we are playing. Whether it's No. 1 or No. 20, we are going to play our hardest."

They have played hard all season. Through exhilarating routs of Western Kentucky and Georgia. Through painful losses to Florida and UCLA. Through an uncomfortable home loss against Auburn, argubaby the low point of the season.

"Tonight on the sideline we just knew we were going to win," said UT tight end Luke Stocker, who magically hauled in a high Crompton offering with about 45 seconds left, a 23-yard gain to move the Vols to the Bama 27, close enough to dream upset dreams.

"We just came up short. I don't think there are enough words to explain how we feel. We are just speechless."

A Big Orange defense that held the Tide to 256 total yards almost left 92,012 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on a perfect autumn afternoon.

There was Eric Berry, who was officially credited with two pass breakups but appeared to have at least twice that many. There was linebacker Rico McCoy, he of 12 total tackles, including one for a loss. There was defensive back Dennis Rogan, perhaps the least appreciated DB in the SEC despite his five solos.

"Another good game defensively," said coach Lane Kiffin said. "We had some really good third-down stands and a great fourth down."

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The Tide's Terrence Cody blocked two fourth-quarter field goals off the foot of Lincoln, the last one at the horn. Bama survived.

But the Vols are slowly beginning to thrive under Kiffin's deft hand. They outgained the Tide by more than 80 yards on the road. For the second game in a row, the embattled Crompton looked like the best quarterback on the field, tossing the first touchdown pass against Bama in 13 quarters.

"When Luke caught that ball -- and he took quite a hit -- I thought, 'OK, we've got a shot," Crompton said. "That's all you can ask for is to have a shot at the end."

Especially when you're intent on sending a message to the rest of the SEC that you're the hardest-working group out there.