Jalin Hyatt walked off the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium and breathed in the cigar smoke a year ago.

He didn't forget it, either.

In an offseason fueled by personal motivation, that night in Tuscaloosa following a 52-24 loss to Alabama stuck with him.

Tennessee's junior wideout is undeniably better than he was then. In his second season in head coach Josh Heupel's system he's worked his way into becoming one of the best receivers in college football.

That was evident in his performance against No. 3 Alabama at Neyland Stadium on Saturday-a 52-49 win that righted 15 years of misery against the Crimson Tide.

He set a single-game program record when he hauled in a quarterback Hendon Hooker pass in the end zone for his fourth score early in the fourth quarter. He then bested that record with a fifth touchdown catch with less than four minutes left, tying Alabama 49-49.

It was only appropriate that this career game would come against the team that unknowingly had a hand in his resurgence.

"Last year, I remember when we played (Alabama), it was fourth quarter and you could already smell the smoke," Hyatt said. "They lit it before we even ended the game. When you feel a feeling like that, you want to bounce back from that. They came to our place, sold out.

"Just to see what these guys have done, how we executed, how we played all four quarters, it just shows how much heart we have on this team."

A read through the postgame stats after each of Tennessee's first six games are a reminder of how far Hyatt has come since a disappointing 2021 season.

After he was lost in the shuffle last season, he's now leading a talented Vols receiving room-which has been without All-SEC player Cedirc Tillman for the last three games-with 33 catches for nearly 600 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Getting there took a complete change in his approach. It included extra hours in the team facilities to physically reshape himself in a way that could handle the grind of facing SEC defense and working on his hands by catching balls from Hooker.

Tennessee proved itself on the national stage for the third time in a month with its win over Alabama and a national audience once again was provided a glimpse of Hyatt's drastic improvement.

"I think it's one of the great stories," Heupel said. "A year ago, you guys all know (Hyatt) wanted to be a great player. You've heard me say it. He's worked to be a great player this year. Preparation meets opportunity, you're ready to go smash it. He had opportunities and played really good football, man. Really special what he did tonight."

That motivation has yet to escape Hyatt. Even though he's turned in one stellar performance after another, the motivation that drove him all offseason remains.

"We came in here like it another game. The players here, we know what to expect," Hyatt said. "When you come to the SEC, especially Tennessee, you know the guys you have to beat when you sign that letter of intent. We did that tonight. I'm blessed."

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