Penalties were a discussion point following the Alabama-Tennessee marathon. The Crimson Tide set a record for a Nick Saban-led team and, to the ire of Alabama fans, a potential Tennessee targeting was reviewed and ultimately not flagged.

With less than 90 seconds to go before halftime, Bryce Young stepped up in the pocket looking for Kendrick Law downfield. The Vols’ 6-foot-4, 320-pound Omari Thomas met Young as he threw it and blasted the quarterback into another downed Tennessee defender. The rush helped limit Alabama’s two-minute drill, a strength for the Tide this year, to a field goal attempt.

Twitter predictably erupted when no penalty was called. Thomas appeared to lower his head and whack Young’s facemask with the front of his helmet. The issue was only exacerbated after the officials went to the video replay.

On Monday, Nick Saban asked for the Southeastern Conference office in Birmingham to take a look.

“We turned the plays in. I’m sure the league office will look at it and make a determination,” Saban said. “There’s two things that are an issue here: targeting but you’re also not supposed to hit the quarterback in the head. Last year against Texas A&M, Malachi (Moore) got thrown out of the game. The guy was out of the pocket, jumped up to block the ball and ended up, almost accidentally, hitting him in the head and got ejected from the game. So there’s really two things that should be looked at.”

The 2022 NCAA rule book defined targeting as “no player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless player or contact an opponent with the crown (top) of their helmet.” A “point of emphasis” for this fall had been defining the “crown” as the top of the helmet.

Saban said he didn’t receive an explanation on the field Saturday for why the hit wasn’t ruled targeting. Thomas finished the game with two tackles and a sack.

Young’s health has been a point of concern for Alabama in recent weeks. He missed two and a half games with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder while trying to throw a ball away. He returned in Knoxville and was stellar with 455 passing yards and two touchdowns with a 67% completion rate.

Alabama’s offense wasn’t enough to match the Volunteers, as the Tide fell 52-49 for its first loss. The No. 6 Crimson Tide welcome No. 24 Mississippi State to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a 6 p.m. CDT kickoff.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].