No. 5 Alabama Nips No. 17 Tennessee 6-3

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Jamie Christensen&#39;s 34-yard field goal with 13 seconds left lifted No. 5 Alabama to a 6-3 victory over No. 17 Tennessee on Saturday, giving the Crimson Tide only its second win in 11 seasons over its bitter rival.<br> <br> It was Christensen&#39;s second straight game-winner, but it was a fumble by Tennessee near the end zone on the Volunteers&#39; previous possession that proved to be the key.<br> <br> Tennessee (3-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) appeared poised to take the lead when it had the ball first-and-goal at the Alabama 3. A 1-yard loss by Arian Foster was followed by quarterback Rick Clausen getting penalized for attempting a pass across the line of scrimmage.<br> <br> On third-and-goal from the 15, Foster caught a swing pass. Alabama&#39;s Roman Harper jarred the ball loose near the goal line and it bounced out of the end zone with 5:08 left, giving the Tide (7-0, 5-0) the ball and stopping Tennessee&#39;s hopes of kicking a field goal.<br> <br> It was the first time Tennessee had failed to score a touchdown since a 30-3 Peach Bowl loss to Maryland on Dec. 31, 2002.<br> <br> Brodie Croyle hit DJ Hall for a 43-yard gain down the left sideline on third-and-8 to keep the game-winning drive going. After Ken Darby&#39;s 11-yard scamper pushed the ball to the Tennessee 14, Alabama milked the clock down to 18 seconds with the Vols out of timeouts.<br> <br> Christensen had also kicked a 31-yarder as time expired in a 13-10 win last week over Mississippi.<br> <br> The Vols fell to 1-3 against top 10 teams this season while Alabama got another statement win after vaulting up the polls with a 31-3 victory over then-No. 5 Florida. <br> <br> Any chance of a last-second miracle all but ended when two penalties on the kickoff pushed the Vols back inside their own 10-yard line. Strong-armed backup Erik Ainge threw a desperation pass downfield that was intercepted by DeMeco Ryans as time ran out.<br> <br> Neither team scored until the final play of the third quarter, with Christensen&#39;s 33-yard field goal breaking the 0-0 deadlock as time expired in the quarter.<br> <br> Both teams set up their first scores on special teams. The Vols&#39; Lucas Taylor fumbled trying to field a punt and Ryans fell on it at midfield.<br> <br> The Vols stopped Darby shy of a first down on third-and-1 from the 16, forcing the field goal.<br> <br> Taylor got some atonement by returning the ensuing kick to Tennessee&#39;s 46. Clausen hit Jayson Swain on a 35-yard pass on the next play despite defensive pass interference to Alabama&#39;s 19. The Vols promptly lost 2 yards after recovering a fumble by Foster.<br> <br> Gerald Riggs gained it back on the next carry and Clausen called timeout just before the play clock expired before third-and-10. Riggs was stopped just short of the first down by Harper on a draw, setting up James Wilhoit&#39;s 32-yard field goal to tie it up with 11:52 left.<br> <br> Alabama had better luck on its own fumbled punt a few minutes earlier. Anthony Madison recovered teammate Hall&#39;s fumble on the Tide&#39;s 9.<br> <br> The teams combined for only 510 yards but Tennessee lost three fumbles.<br> <br> © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.