Alabama defensive back was on the wrong end of a blindside block by Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews on Saturday in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee sealed the win against Alabama on Saturday with a nine-and-a-half minute drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a DeSean Bishop rushing touchdown.
That drive, however, almost stalled out when Vols wide receiver Mike Matthews was called for an illegal blindside block on Alabama safety Bray Hubbard, which erased a huge gain by Bishop.
Matthews absolutely lit up Hubbard on the play.
Matthews made up for the penalty by picking up 18 yards on the next play.
Hubbard was asked about Matthews' block after the game, and he made it clear that he felt it was not a clean hit.
"Yeah, I mean, not a clean hit," said Hubbard. "I lost my breath…but I got back up. I'm a dog…it's an illegal hit."
Hubbard added that he's "fine" after the hit.
If you're a Vols fan, you've gotta love the aggression that Matthews plays with. But that penalty almost cost Tennessee a chance to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
You don't want to take the aggressiveness away from Matthews, but the officials are going to call that every time (they called a similar penalty on Alabama in the first half), so Matthews will need to keep that in mind moving forward.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Alabama DB Bray Hubbard leaves no doubt on how he feels about the vicious hit he received from Tennessee WR Mike Matthews
© 2026 A to Z Sports.
