KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Amari Cooper caught nine passes for a school-record 224 yards and scored two touchdowns to help No. 4 Alabama beat Tennessee 34-20 on Saturday night for its eighth consecutive victory in the series.
This game marked a return to Neyland Stadium for Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who coached Tennessee in 2009 and angered Volunteers fans by leaving for Southern California after only one season. Kiffin’s offense produced touchdowns on four of its first five series – including Cooper’s 80-yard touchdown catch on Alabama’s first play from scrimmage – as the Crimson Tide (7-1, 4-1 SEC) raced to a 27-0 lead.
Tennessee (3-5, 0-4) got back into the game thanks to quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who provided a spark after entering the game on Tennessee’s third possession. Dobbs helped the Vols cut the lead to 27-17 in the third quarter before Alabama’s Derrick Henry stopped Tennessee’s momentum with a 28-yard touchdown run.
Cooper’s 224 yards receiving broke the school single-game record set by Julio Jones, who had 221 yards receiving in a 41-10 victory over Tennessee in 2010. By the end of the first quarter, Cooper already had five catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
The biggest suspense leading into the game was how the sellout crowd of 102,455 would treat Kiffin.