Christensen's late FG lifts Tide past Vols

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- With a kick, a fumble and a catch, No. 5

Alabama ended a decade of frustration in its bitter rivalry with

Tennessee.

Those three plays and a relentless defense lifted the Crimson

Tide to a 6-3 victory over the 17th-ranked Volunteers on Saturday,

keeping its perfect season intact in stirring fashion.

"What a way to win the game," Crimson Tide coach Mike Shula

said. "Our guys hung in there for the whole game. Whenever it

looked like things were going against us and nothing was going to

go our way, our guys stepped up and made some plays."

The final one was Jamie Christensen's 34-yard field goal with 13

seconds left for his second straight game-winner. Two other huge

plays late made it possible.

Tennessee (3-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) had appeared poised

to take the lead when it had the ball first-and-goal at the Alabama

3. Mistakes pushed the ball back to the 15 by third down, and a

final one turned the game around.

Arian Foster caught a swing pass and headed toward the end zone.

Alabama's Roman Harper jarred the ball loose near the goal line and

it bounced out of the end zone with 5:08 left, giving the Tide

(7-0, 5-0) the ball and stopping Tennessee's hopes of breaking the

tie.

"I wasn't thinking they were going to score," said linebacker

DeMeco Ryans, who recovered an earlier fumble and intercepted

Tennessee's last-gasp pass. "I knew one of our safeties was going

to come in and hit him. I didn't think they were going to score."

It was the first time Tennessee had failed to score a touchdown

since a 30-3 Peach Bowl loss to Maryland on Dec. 31, 2002.

After Alabama took over, Brodie Croyle hit DJ Hall for a 43-yard

gain down the left sideline on third-and-8 to keep the game-winning

drive going, one of the few big plays supplied by either offense.

"When we came to the huddle, Brodie came right at me," said

Hall, who had 10 catches for 139 yards. "He said, 'Hey, I'm coming

right to you so just run.' That's what I did. I gave [the defender]

a little move and ran by him and Brodie just put it in the right

spot."

After Ken Darby's 11-yard scamper pushed the ball to the

Tennessee 14, Alabama milked the clock down to 18 seconds with the

Vols out of timeouts for Christensen's kick.

"I've done it a 1,000 times," said Christensen, who booted a

31-yarder as time expired in the Tide's 13-10 win over Mississippi

last week. "It's no different, except for what's at stake."

The rivalry has built intensity off the field in recent years,

with Alabama fans angry at Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer for being

a secret witness in the NCAA's investigation that led to probation.

The situation has also spawned a lawsuit by former Tide coaches

against the NCAA and others and another against the NCAA and Fulmer

by a former Alabama recruit who wound up spending one season at

Tennessee.

This one eased the frustrations of two straight tough losses in

the series, including a 51-43 five-overtime defeat in the Vols'

last visit. It also left Tennessee a frustrated team that is 1-3

against top 10 teams after being picked to win the SEC.

"We do some darn good things and then we find a way to screw it

up," Fulmer said. "We've got two choices: We find a way to get it

corrected or you give up and we're not giving up."

Foster's fumble was only the last of an array of costly mistakes

for the Vols. They lost three fumbles, including a second by Gerald

Riggs on their only other trip inside the 10.

"We beat ourselves tonight," quarterback Rick Clausen said.

"That's it. That's all it boils down to. You can't make mistakes

and beat a team like Alabama."

Any chance of a last-second miracle all but ended when two

penalties on the kickoff pushed the Vols back inside their own

10-yard line. Strong-armed backup Erik Ainge threw a desperation

pass downfield that was intercepted by Ryans as time ran out.

The Vols held Darby, the league's No. 2 rusher, to 86 yards on

23 carries. Croyle completed 17 of 27 passes for 190 yards but was

sacked five times.

Tennessee's offense wasn't any more productive. Riggs managed

just 68 yards on 18 carries while Foster, a freshman, had a

season-high 53 yards.

Neither team scored until the final play of the third quarter,

with Christensen's 33-yard field goal breaking the 0-0 deadlock as

time expired in the quarter.

Both teams set up their first scores on special teams. The Vols'

Lucas Taylor fumbled trying to field a punt and Ryans fell on it at

midfield.

The Vols stopped Darby shy of a first down on third-and-1 from

the 16, forcing the field goal.

Taylor got some atonement by returning the ensuing kick to

Tennessee's 46 to set up James Wilhoit's 32-yard field goal to tie

it up with 11:52 left.

Alabama had better luck on its own fumbled punt a few minutes

earlier. Anthony Madison recovered teammate Hall's fumble on the

Tide's 9.

"Knowing that a team is better than you and they beat you, you

can live with that," Tennessee receiver Jayson Swain said. "We

just beat ourselves."