No. 6 Alabama has a knack for closing out tight games, a trait that was missing last year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — No. 6 Alabama sure knows how to finish.

The Crimson Tide have closed out all three of their Southeastern Conference games with big plays in crunch time. It's the kind of repeated resolve that could bode well against 11th-ranked Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

“This is a tough team, and all we do is fight,” quarterback Ty Simpson said. “Three Top 25 games and they all come down to the wire. That’s hard to do. That’s what Alabama is. We’re going to keep swinging and make sure that we play together.”

The last three meetings in the rivalry known as the “Third Saturday in October” have been one-possession games in the fourth quarter. Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC) came up short in last year’s 24-17 loss in Knoxville , getting outscored 24-10 in the second hal