Report Card: Evaluating Alabama football in loss to Tennessee

Read this Alabama football report card, learn from it, then throw it in the trash.

With these grades, this report card is far from refrigerator material.

Alabama is struggling, and Saturday's 24-17 loss to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium is just the latest example. The Crimson Tide (5-2, 2-2 SEC) had two losses before November for the first time since 2007, Nick Saban's first year as coach.

“We're just not able to get the offense and defense together right now and play great team football,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game. “There are times when we need to be able to zone out and have that killer instinct. And right now, you know, we're not doing that. And it's not like they don't try. It’s just the execution that needs to be better.”

Here's how we rated the Crimson Tide in their loss to Tennessee.

Alabama offense: D

Three opportunities in the first half were taken away by the defense, and the Alabama offense couldn't do anything with any of them. The Crimson Tide scored no points from turnovers. That's unacceptable, even against a good Tennessee defense.

Alabama had many self-inflicted wounds, including missed throws, difficulty running consistently, turnovers (two interceptions) and trouble on third down (3 of 14). All of this contributed to an unforgettable offensive performance. The offense even had two chances to redeem itself in the final minutes, but was unable to score a first down. Instead, the game ended with Jalen Milroe throwing an interception. At times, Alabama's offense led the way when the defense faltered. Saturday was not one of those times.

Alabama Defense: C+

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's unit managed a shutout in the first half. Three snack bars made this possible. Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, Tennessee found ways to exploit Alabama's defense in the second half, scoring 24 points in the second half. The Crimson Tide gave up 214 rushing yards over the course of the game. In the second half, Tennessee's running game scored two of the three touchdowns over seven drives in the second half. Despite the struggles after halftime, Alabama's defense stepped up late. It forced a punt with 2:25 left. Then, after the offense fumbled the ensuing drive and failed to convert on fourth down, the Crimson Tide defense held the Vols to a field goal on a short field.

The defense gave Alabama a chance, but the offense couldn't capitalize on it. The defeat is much more due to the offense, but the defense is certainly not innocent. It just wasn't the main culprit.

Alabama special teams: B+

Alabama forced Tennessee to miss two field goals in the first half, raising that mark. But the Crimson Tide missed their own field goal, albeit from 54 yards, which hurt the score somewhat. Punter James Burnip got plenty of work, punting seven times and averaging 46.7 yards per punt. Graham Nicholson also made the second field goal of his Alabama career on his fourth attempt. Otherwise, not much stood out on special teams.

Overall: C-

Alabama has difficulty playing team football. Nowadays, offense and defense can no longer play well at the same time. It was one or the other most of the time. Combine that with self-inflicted wounds, lack of discipline and sloppy mistakes, and Alabama isn't playing winning football right now. Combined with facing a Tennessee team that is one of the better teams in the SEC, this resulted in Alabama losing for the second time in three weeks.