Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em! 

Because the Alabama Crimson Tide just came out with a huge 37-20 victory against the Tennessee Volunteers on the Third Saturday of October.

It was a massive win for Alabama, marking the program as the first SEC team in history to win four straight games against ranked teams without a bye week in between.

Since the Week 1 disappointment, Alabama has been on a total heater, with six straight wins and are currently second in the SEC behind Texas A&M who just snuck by Arkansas by three points.

Alas, it was another statement win for the Crimson Tide and we came away with a few observations from the game.

Yhonzae Pierre is a Superstar

Defensive end Yhonzae Pierre officially announced that he is here to stay.

Week after week, Pierre has continued to show Alabama fans that he’s progressing as one of the top pass rushers in not just the SEC, but college football as a whole.

Last night, Pierre ended the night with three sacks and six total tackles, and it just seemed like he spent all night rushing the quarterback with six total pressures.

Along with those pressures, was when he rushed Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar in the endzone, forcing him to intentionally ground the ball and causing a safety.

“He’s built his stamina up more to where he can compete for four quarters now and that’s just really cool to see,” coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “It’s really him understanding that any play I can go win one-on-one. And making sure he’s lined up, does his assignment and strains from start to finish each and every play.”

Daniel Hill Getting More Reps?

The run game was a tad off all game.

Jam Miller, even though registered a touchdown, put together 15 rushing yards on 12 carries. 

Tennessee seemed to do a solid job at stuffing the run overall. Even Kevin Riley did a whole lot of nothing in his limited carries.

But as the game progressed, DeBoer put a lot of faith in freshman Daniel Hill, the 240 pound bowling ball for a running back, and someone who we were led to believe would have a big part of the run game this season.

Hill had a bit of a slow start to the season and DeBoer buried him on the depth chart. But last night, he started to get a more of an active role.

He was given seven carries and rushed for 34 yards, caught one pass for 16 yards and found the endzone for his first rushing touchdown.

Defense Held Strong

We talked about Pierre having a massive impact on the game, but how can we forget about the 99-yard Zabien Brown pick-six?

Apart from a handful of mental mistakes against the run, Alabama’s defense was exceptional.

Linebacker Justin Jefferson had another exceptional performance with a critical pass breakup, along with defensive tackle James Smith and safety Bray Hubbard who each recorded seven total tackles.

Another defensive player that has been quickly making the rounds is Colorado transfer linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green, who recorded two tackles-for-loss.

The Return of Ryan Williams

The phenom is back.

After a game where he was targeted only twice, likely because of him battling an injury last week, wide receiver Ryan Williams showed just why he is the superstar player that Alabama fans thought they were getting.

One of the biggest concerns about Williams’ game was that he wasn’t using his hands to catch the ball, but more so using his body.

In two explosive plays, Williams showcased his dynamic hands that resulted in him hauling in five catches for 87 yards, and even a unique trick play that helped him rush the ball for 16 yards.