Alabama's offense stalls at Tennessee, and the pressure lands on Ryan Grubb

Alabama went to Knoxville and did not score in the second half. The 26-10 loss to Tennessee was the Crimson Tide's second in a row. It also moved the criticism away from the roster and onto offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was hired by Kalen DeBoer.

The numbers from the night were stark. As Roundtable Sports laid out, Alabama finished with 201 total yards and only 54 on the ground. The Tide turned the ball over four times and gave up five sacks. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 147 yards and was intercepted twice. The defense kept the game close, holding Tennessee mostly to field goals, and the Volunteers led just 12-10 at halftime. Then Alabama's offense produced nothing after the break, and Tennessee pulled away.

That second half is the center of the case against Grubb. Roundtable's Hannah Stephens argued that the coordinator's job is to adjust when a plan stops working. In her view, Alabama came out of halftime without an answer for Tennessee's pressure, and without a running game it could lean on to protect a young quarterback. She did not put the blame on Grubb alone. The column cited the offensive line, Russell's mistakes and DeBoer's responsibility for the overall direction of the program. But its conclusion was blunt: "Alabama needs offensive production."

The season numbers show how sharp the drop has been. Alabama scored 48, 45, 50, 49 and 56 points in its first five games, all wins, and averaged nearly 50 per game. Then came 17 points in a 20-17 home loss to Georgia, then 10 at Tennessee. The Georgia game at least looked competitive. The trip to Knoxville did not. The open question now is whether the early output came against defenses that could not slow Alabama down, and whether the offense can hold up against better ones.

What it means for Texas A&M

Alabama, now 5-2, hosts Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 24, on ABC. Another loss would put a third straight defeat on the record of a team that started the season in the playoff conversation. The schedule does give Grubb a home game to show the halftime-adjustment problem was a one-week issue.

The market still trusts the Tide. Across 12 venues on this site's board, Alabama is favored by 14.5 points at Novig, priced at -100. Hard Rock Bet has the widest number for the Aggies at +15.5. On the moneyline, Alabama is -590 at Novig and -584 at Polymarket, the best price anywhere. Texas A&M is +525 at Novig and +529 at Kalshi. Venues are within a point on the spread, and sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 6.8% depending on the market. The total sits at 50.5. That is well below what Alabama scored on its own in most of its early wins, and above the 27 combined points from the Tennessee game.

Tennessee, now 6-1, has won three straight since its 20-17 loss to Texas. It goes to South Carolina the same day on ESPN and is not favored. South Carolina is -2.5 at Novig (-104) and -2 at BetMGM. Tennessee is +120 at Novig on the moneyline, and DraftKings has the best South Carolina moneyline at -122. Across 11 venues, the gap on the spread is half a point.