Tennessee players on streak-snapping upset over Alabama: 'It was definitely history'
After an amazing victory over Alabama on Saturday, the 2022 Tennessee Volunteers will always have their place in the history of their program.
The moment wasn’t too big for this season’s crop of players, as Josh Heupel’s squad was able to snap a decade-plus long streak of losing to the Crimson Tide. Afterwards, four players who contributed greatly to the victory — Chase McGrath, Jalin Hyatt, Hendon Hooker and Trevon Flowers — elaborated on just what the victory meant to them.
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First, Flowers — who had 11 total tackles against the Crimson Tide — put the entire win into a fascinating perspective.
“It’s undescribable,” responded Flowers, asked what the win meant to him. “Just the stuff that I’ve been through, these guys been through. It’s just something that’s been built from the off-season. It’s just something that we’ve worked so hard for. It’s definitely history. We’ll never forget this moment.
“I’m glad it was with these guys. Every guy in the locker room, every coach, every member of the staff. It doesn’t matter. It’s just something — it’s undescribable, bro. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Additionally, McGrath’s game-winning field goal will live on for generations, especially considering it’s unorthodox flight through the goal post.
“It’s amazing, especially with this fan base for all those years, for us to be able to come out with a win tonight and see everybody’s reaction, it’s a real blessing,” stated McGrath. “It’s an awesome night.”
Moreover, perhaps no player was bigger than Hyatt, who put up video game numbers against the Alabama secondary, reeling in six receptions for 207 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
“This is how we prepared. We didn’t prepare thinking we were going to lose at all,” answered Hyatt. “We all came here confident. We came here like it was another game, like we always do. The players here, they know what to expect.
“When you come to the SEC, especially Tennessee, you know the guys you have to beat when you sign that letter of intent. So we did that tonight, we’re blessed.”
Of course, no player has been more important to the turnaround of Tennessee than Hooker, who’s playing himself into the Heisman conversation each week. Afterwards, he stated that it was “just another day at the office” for the Volunteers.
“We approach every game the same,” added Hooker. “It’s just another day at the office, and that’s how we approached it today.
“Determined to just go out there and execute plays, and play 100% for our brothers to our left and our right. That’s what we did tonight.”
Regardless of how cool the Tennessee players want to play things, it was a monumental moment beating Alabama on Saturday. Now, there’s more work to be done in 2022, but one day they’ll look back on things as one of the greatest moments of their football careers.