“Nick Saban coming out of retirement next week” – Alabama choking against Tennessee for their 2nd loss of the season has fans going WILD on social media

Fans criticize Kalen DeBoer for matching Nick Saban's career losses at Bama in just his first year against Tennessee.

“Nick Saban coming out of retirement next week” – Alabama choking against Tennessee for their 2nd loss of the season has fans going WILD on social media

Nick Saban (Image via IMAGO)

The 2024 edition of the ‘Third Saturday of October rivalry’ between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers promised a great matchup. The outcome just wasn’t the one Nick Saban had envisioned.

Before the game, Saban told Pat McAfee about the importance of this particular rivalry. According to the veteran coach, Bama players always look forward to this game.

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For our players, this was a bigger rivalry than any game we played. I’m talking about rivalry games. Even bigger than Auburn to our players. It was most difficult for me to get our players up for the Auburn game. It was never difficult for the Tennessee game.

Nick Saban said in the buildup to the fixture

This was the first meeting between the two teams since Saban retired and Kalen DeBoer’s first. #7 Alabama lost 24-17 to #11 Tennessee.

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After 4 straight victories to start his career at Tuscaloosa, DeBoer suffered his first defeat against SEC rivals Vanderbilt but secured a come-from-behind win against South Carolina the following week. This was the best opportunity for Tennessee to record a victory over their bitter rivals.

"Nick Saban coming out of retirement next week" - Alabama choking against Tennessee for their 2nd loss of the season has fans going WILD on social media
Jalen Milroe (Image via IMAGO)

The Vols beat a tough Gators team before Saturday’s matchup and were brimming with confidence even though sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw an early interception—he completed a crucial 16-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to receiver Chris Brazzell II to give the Vols the lead, and it stayed that way until the end.

On the opposite end, Heisman contender Jalen Milroe threw two picks and only completed 55% of his passes. It was the first since 2007 that Bama had lost two games before November. Naturally, football fans wanted to give their say on the topic.

Tennessee is 6-1 with the win and Bama dropped to 5-2. Both have won 2 games each in the SEC and lost one, while Texas A&M and Georgia Bulldogs lead the conference with 3 wins apiece.

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Before the recent defeat, the last time Bama dropped points in the fixture was in 2022, but before that, Nick Saban was on a 15-game winning streak against the Vols. Saban shares the record with Bear Bryant (16-7-1 from 1958-1982). However, Saban has a 94.1% win percentage because he took fewer games to win 16.

Up next, Bama will play the #19 Missouri State Tigers, and Tennessee will stay at Neyland Stadium to welcome the Kentucky Wildcats.