Zabien Brown provided Alabama football with quite the ending to the first half of the 2025 edition of the ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry against No. 11 Tennessee.
Brown, the sophomore defensive back, made the Vols pay for their decision of going for it on the 1-yard line with 9 seconds remaining in the first half and facing a then-16-7 deficit, picking off Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and taking it all the way down the field for a 99-yard pick-six touchdown return.
The pick-six from Brown gave Kalen DeBoer’s squad a 23-7 lead at halftime against their longtime SEC foe.
Watch: Zabien Brown gets 99-yard pick-six vs Tennessee
‘Obviously disappointed in that play,’ Tennessee coach Josh Heupel told ABC’s Molly McGrath going into halftime.
Here’s a look at Brown’s electric play in the final seconds of the first half:
Brown’s pick-six was the cherry on top of a stellar first half by the Crimson Tide’s defense, as Yhonzae Pierre helped Alabama record a safety at the 7:37 mark of the second quarter after he was credited with a sack on a pass rush of Aguilar in the end zone. The officials determined after a brief review that Aguilar committed an intentional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
The Crimson Tide held the Vols to just 36 rushing yards in the first half.
If Alabama is able to keep its foot on the pedal and hold onto the lead, the Crimson Tide will continue their dominance at home in the ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry and pick up their fourth consecutive ranked win of the season.
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