It was as bad as you can imagine.

After the Alabama Crimson Tide fell to the Georgia Bulldogs last week in a highly contested battle, the hope from Gump Nation was to rebound nicely against rivals Tennessee.

The Third Saturday of October always carries weight, but this time, a 26-10 loss in Knoxville delivered a blow Alabama hadn't experienced in more than a decade.

For the first time since 2013, the Crimson Tide have lost back-to-back games, and it sends them further down the AP Top 25.

There will be a lot to evaluate throughout the next week before Alabama gets ready for its battle against Texas A&M.

So let’s dive into four observations I took away from this game last night.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb obviously is a skilled play caller, but over the past two seasons, we’ve seen some concerning trends.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack always says that “you need to be accountable for what you put on tape.” That, too, goes for Grubb.

The problem wasn't necessarily that Grubb was outcoached. It was that he failed to adjust to Tennessee's defensive approach.

One key to the game was that the Crimson Tide needed to get the ball out quickly, and that was hardly what happened in Knoxville. The second was for quarterback Keelon Russell to extend plays by using his legs.

Ironically, when he did, Alabama moved up the field.

On the other side of the coin, we often saw Russell looking down the field when he wasn’t running, trying to turn nothing into something. It ended up in him holding the ball for an extensive amount of time – long enough for Tennessee to register a sack.

Grubb knows how to design plays that generate explosive gains, but adjusting to the defense in front of him has been a weakness.

When Alabama gained positive yardage, it often came on slant routes, checkdowns and screen passes. Those plays were limited, however. When Russell looked to push the ball downfield for an explosive play, the results often backfired.

Alabama’s standard has always involved holding each other accountable. Yesterday felt like that core competency was forgotten.

The players' body language became alarming as the game slipped out of reach.

They seemed defeated, unmotivated and uninterested.

If you watched ESPN’s documentary on former Alabama coach Nick Saban, you’d quickly learn that Saban wouldn’t let his players pout after a loss. Instead, he would aim to uplift them and head into the next week with a head full of steam.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer told the media after the game that there will be some uncomfortable conversations on Monday. You have to think part of that discussion is how the team responded to adversity.

This game was carried by Alabama’s defense – and the offense failed them.

In the first quarter, Alabama had possession of the ball for 5:45, and it had only recorded four passing yards and 17 rushing yards after the first quarter.

By then, Tennessee was already up 9-0.

Despite Alabama's offensive struggles, the defense kept the deficit to just nine points in the first quarter, giving the Tide an opportunity to recover.

Alabama applied a significant amount of pressure to Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre, but it clearly wasn’t enough. 

Additionally, Alabama initially did an exceptional job at stuffing the run, until the defense ran out of gas toward the end of the game, and it led Tennessee to pull away.

Vols running back DeSean Bishop was difficult to bring down. He used his elusiveness, footwork and impressive strength on his feet to keep the play going – which ultimately led to him recording a pair of touchdowns on 159 rushing yards.

Russell’s first-half stats are ugly, but they don’t tell the whole story.

Russell is still a young and inexperienced quarterback, and when you put him in a situation like Neyland Stadium, there are going to be jitters.

Except Tennessee didn’t allow Russell to have jitters. Any time he had an opportunity to throw the ball downfield, Russell was stifled.

The play calling did little to help Russell settle into the game. For a young quarterback making his way through a difficult road environment, the offense needed to give him easier opportunities to find a rhythm.

Get the ball out quickly. That means using the previously mentioned slants, checkdowns and screen passes. A little more variety in the play calling wouldn't hurt, either.

When the first quarter ended, Russell had only completed two out of six passes for just four yards.

Most of that was a result of Russell holding the ball. And holding it. And holding it. He held the ball for so long that it resulted in five Tennessee sacks.

You don’t want to give the Vols any room to cause havoc – and that’s exactly what the Tide did. 

Now, we’re not excusing him from all of the blame.

When his receivers were covered, Russell needed to recognize the situation sooner and use his legs to extend plays.

While he did run the ball, he could've run more, eventually opening up the offense. 

Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.

When you’re going against an elite defense, you can’t leave room for error. And it felt like Alabama’s offense gave Tennessee plenty of room.