Jalen Milroe: Alabama had to 'flip the page' after last year's loss to Tennessee

Last year, Jalen Milroe and Alabama hurried to the locker room as Tennessee fans — cigars in hand — stormed the field following a walk-off, 52-49 victory at Neyland Stadium. It was a gut punch for the Crimson Tide, who hadn’t lost the rivalry matchup since 2006.

That was one of the big storylines heading into this year’s iteration of the Third Saturday in October. For Milroe and the Tide, though, their mentality was simple.

“The biggest thing we had to do was flip the page,” Milroe told CBS’ Jenny Dell amid the celebration. “Flip the page and acknowledge that we had a game this year and we had to take care of business.”

They certainly did.

Alabama, despite trailing 13-0 after the first quarter, rallied back with a strong second half to come away with the 34-20 victory over Tennessee at Bryant Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide outscored the Volunteers 27-0 after halftime, led by a solid performance by Milroe and a strong defensive attack, to avenge last year’s loss on Rocky Top.

After the first quarter, Nick Saban said Alabama needed to adjust and get the offense to create more positive plays. The Crimson Tide did just that, and Milroe said the focus on closing out the game was part of the turnaround and remaining unbeaten in SEC play.

“It’s all about our finish,” Milroe said. “Our brotherhood, our commitment and everything that comes with four quarters. Like we talked about in the offseason, it all factored in today. What a great win, what a great opponent. That’s the way to finish.”

Alabama rode a complete performance in the second half to victory over Tennessee

Jalen Milroe’s strong day was one part of the Alabama attack against Tennessee. Jase McClellan led the running game with 115 yards and a touchdown to help the Crimson Tide’s complete performance.

To Saban, everything changed with the first drive of the second half, which ended with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Milroe to Isaiah Bond.

“I think the big thing was we came out in the second half, two plays and a touchdown changed the whole momentum of the game,” Saban said. “Got our team excited, got our team having energy and we played great after that. My hats off — the fans were great. This is a great win for us.”

The defense got some big days, as well. Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell combined for 22 tackles, and Campbell had the 24-yard scoop-and-score to help seal the victory. It was a complete performance for Alabama, which Saban said that surely added to the special nature of the victory.

“It’s always great to beat Tennessee,” Saban said. “Jalen did a great job. Offense did a great job in the second half, but the defense shut them out in the second half, too.”