Alabama Stunned By Vanderbilt in Nashville
It might have been Alabama's ugliest game since the Crimson Tide lost to UL Monroe in 2007.
In the end, sloppy defense, undisciplined penalties, and a lack of explosiveness on offense early in the football game are what cost Alabama not only a chance at an undefeated season but a winning streak dating back to 1985 against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during the week's press conferences that if you go out and lose a game like this, it makes a colossal win like Georgia mean almost nothing.
That win now means nothing.
The Crimson Tide dropped their first game of the season, so all hope is not lost with the 12-team expanded College Football Playoffs. However, to lose to Vanderbilt when Alabama still has Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn on the schedule is not a good sign.
It's the first setback of the Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa.
The Final Score:
Alabama - 35
Vanderbilt - 40
The question has to be asked, would Alabama have a more favorable outlook on the season if they lost to Georgia last week, instead of Vanderbilt this week?
The crowd was 80-20 Alabama fans, yet it didn't matter. Alabama fell for the rat trap and crashed back down to reality after being voted the No. 1 team in the country according to the AP Poll.
Vanderbilt ran out the clock with a first down pick up, and Alabama could do nothing except watch the seconds tick away on the game.
Where does Alabama go from here?
The Crimson Tide have to figure out the defense soon, with one more game before a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee for a date with Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers.
Right now, it looks like Alabama might struggle to survive South Carolina next week.
It wasn't difficult, what Vanderbilt was doing. The mobile quarterback gave Alabama fits, and the multi-option offense confused even the camera crew, much less the Crimson Tide's defense. Add in a few key-timed shovel passes to Eli Stowers, and Vanderbilt had its recipe for success against a Crimson Tide defense that struggled with mobile quarterbacks and stopping the big plays.
Alabama has a lot of soul-searching to do, and quickly, if they still have hopes for the College Football Playoffs in the first year under Kalen DeBoer.
Stat Leaders
Passing: Jalen Milroe - 19-25, 312 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (Pick-Six).
Rushing: Jam Miller - 5 carries, 42 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Ryan Williams - 3 catches, 82 yards, 1 TD
Defensive: Jihaad Campbell - 12 takes, 1.5 Tackles for loss.
Alabama will return to Tuscaloosa next Saturday, October 12, for an 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
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