TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - If you hadn't known Tennessee better, you might have thought it was going to find a way to beat Alabama on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

But you had half a season's worth of history with this team. You knew better.

Find a way to win? Are you kidding?

Instead, UT found a way to lose a touchdown-less game, 6-3.

First example: UT had a second-and-1 at the Alabama 9-yard line in the first quarter. Tailback Gerald Riggs fumbled the ball over to the Tide.

Second example: UT had a fourth-and-2 at the Alabama 36 late in the first half. Quarterback Rick Clausen threw a strike to wide receiver Bret Smith, who whiffed.

Third example: As a short Jeremy Schatz punt began to fall harmlessly near midfield, UT's Lucas Taylor decided to get involved. Bad idea.

Taylor muffed the punt, and DeMeco Ryans recovered at the 50. That led to Alabama's third-quarter field goal.

Fourth example: UT fullback Cory Anderson was inside the Tide 10 rambling for the end zone when Roman Harper delivered a hit that will live in Alabama lore.

The ball bounced through the Alabama end zone for a touchback with 5:08 to play.

Not even a great defense can overcome all those mistakes. The Vols found that out against Florida and Georgia. They found it out again Saturday afternoon in losing for only the second time in 11 years to the Tide.

It's popular to blame offensive coordinator Randy Sanders in games like this. But UT had the plays to win the game.

Riggs had the first down inside the 10 on his carry. The screen pass to Anderson was a nice call.

In those instances, the players failed, not the plays.

Alabama's Kenneth Darby carried the ball 23 times for 86 yards against one of the best defenses in the country. He didn't do anything to remind you of Reggie Bush. But he didn't do anything to remind you of Riggs or Anderson, either. On every carry, he squeezed the football as hard as he ran.

There was nothing wrong-headed with UT's offensive approach. It basically shelved a passing game that was foundering anyway and tried to win with defense and ball-control.

In so doing, you have little margin for error. You have to protect the ball and you have to play with discipline. That was too much to ask.

The lack of discipline was even evident on defense. Tackle Jesse Mahelona was flagged for a personal foul on Alabama's first scoring drive. The 15-yard penalty gave the Tide a first down on UT's 25. In a game as defensive-oriented as this one, 15 yards is a windfall.

Those crucial fumbles inside the 10 weren't all that distinguished Alabama from UT. There also was the third-down, 43-yard pass completion from quarterback Brodie Croyle to wide receiver D.J. Hall, who made the catch in the face of a defender.

Moments later, Jamie Christensen kicked a 34-yard, game-winning field goal with 13 seconds to play.

The clutch pass play from Croyle magnified UT's offensive dilemma. For all of its supposedly great recruiting, it doesn't have the playmakers at either quarterback or receiver to deliver a play of that magnitude.

Croyle might be the best quarterback in the SEC but he didn't play well against UT. He twice missed open receivers on what could have been touchdowns. He occasionally held the ball too long, contributing, in part, to UT's five sacks.

But with an overtime looming, he pulled off a play that rendered his sub-par performance irrelevant. UT doesn't have that kind of player on offense.

And that makes you wonder which way this rivalry is headed.

Three years ago, Alabama football was in disarray. Wracked by scandals and an NCAA probation, it turned the program over to Mike Shula, who had no head-coaching experience and no experience as a college recruiter.

Yet look what he's done against UT.

He has lost to the Vols in five overtimes, lost to them by four points without his starting quarterback and beaten them on a last-minute field goal. In the worst of times for Alabama football, Shula has helped the Tide hold its own against its hated arch-rival.

The headline on the front page of Saturday's Tuscaloosa News synopsized the matchup: "Reversal of Fortunes." A day later, the headline was even more accurate.

Alabama, which was 10-15 in its last two seasons, is 7-0 and almost assured of being 9-0 prior to its last two games against LSU and Auburn. UT, a consensus top-five team in preseason, is 3-3 and in danger of dropping off even the Peach Bowl's radar.

Planning a bowl trip? Forget New Year's Day. Think Shreveport or Nashville. Then hope you draw an opponent comparable to the Texas A&M team UT manhandled in last year's Cotton Bowl. That's where all the optimism for UT's 2005 season started.

The optimism is just a memory now. So is UT's domination against Alabama.