Alabama Gets Tie in Final Seconds : SEC: Winning streak ends at 28, but Barker rallies No. 2 Crimson Tide to a 17-17 tie with Tennessee.

Second-ranked Alabama rallied in the final two minutes, scoring on a one-yard run by Jay Barker with 21 seconds left and then getting a two-point conversion run by David Palmer to salvage a 17-17 tie with 10th-ranked Tennessee on Saturday.

“I’m not pleased with the tie,” said Gene Stallings, Alabama’s coach, “but I am pleased with the way we came back in the latter part of the game.”

The Crimson Tide, 5-0-1 overall and 3-0-1 in the Southeastern Conference, was on the verge of its first loss since Sept. 14, 1991, 28 games ago, when it got the ball at its 17 with 1:44 remaining.

“I was just determined to get the job done,” said Barker, who completed 22 of 40 passes for 312 yards despite being sacked six times. “I told everybody on the offense to give me some time and we would get the job done.”

With plenty of time to throw as Tennessee dropped back in a prevent defense, Barker directed an 11-play, 83-yard drive that prevented Tennessee (5-1-1, 3-1-1) from beating Alabama for the first time since 1985.

The junior quarterback completed five consecutive passes for 65 yards before three incompletions left Alabama with fourth and 10 at the Tennessee 18. Kevin Lee kept the drive alive when he caught a 17-yard pass from Barker that put the ball inside the Tennessee one.

On the next play, Barker dived over the top for Alabama’s first touchdown, making the score 17-15 with 21 seconds to go.

After Tennessee called a timeout to set its defense for the two-point conversion, Alabama came out for the first time all day in a full-house backfield with Palmer, usually a receiver, lining up at quarterback. He took a quick snap and outran the defense to the right corner.

“We had seen Palmer at quarterback, so we called a timeout,” Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said. “I thought we were prepared to stop the perimeter play.”

Said Barker: “Even though we tied it, it feels like we lost. The name of the game is winning.”

Tennessee missed a chance to pull back into a tie for the SEC Eastern Division lead with No. 4 Florida, which earlier in the day was upset by 19th-ranked Auburn, 38-35.

“We will go forward from here,” Fulmer said. “We want to play ‘Bama again” in the SEC championship game.

Despite the tie, Alabama is still in excellent position to win theWestern Division tile and set itself up for a chance to play again for the national title on New Year’s Day. Auburn, the only team in the division with fewer than two losses, is ineligible for postseason play because of probation.

No one on the Alabama side was thinking that far ahead when Tennessee’s Charlie Garner ran 73 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to break open a 10-9 game.

Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler set a school record when he threw a 25-yard touchdown to Craig Faulkner in the second quarter, his 19th scoring pass of the season.

But after completing 15 of 18 passes for 180 yards in the first half, Shuler missed on eight the rest of the way. He also threw two interceptions and fumbled once.