The Crimson Tide suffered its first loss of the season against Vanderbilt 40-35 on Saturday.
The loss is also the first under head coach Kalen DeBoer and comes just one week after Alabama beat previously No. 2-ranked Georgia, which propelled Alabama to the No. 1 spot.
Many things went wrong for the Crimson Tide. The game was error-filled, but there were three main contributing factors.
Play calling
There was a noticeable change in play calling from previous weeks, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The big switch came from a ground-focused game plan to what seemed to be a heavy attempt at the air raid that was limited by time of possession
In the game against Georgia, Jalen Milroe had more than double the rushes he had against Vanderbilt.
Designed quarterback runs were common to the Georgia game. However, these designed runs were almost completely abandoned against Vanderbilt. Milroe finished the game with only seven total rush attempts for 10 yards.
Alongside less than half the rushing attempts he had the week prior, he completed and attempted fewer passes. Milroe finished 18-24 for 310 yards, 67 less than against Georgia.
Even with under 18 minutes of total possession time, Alabama still managed to score 35 points. Had Alabama continued to utilize what has worked all season, there’s no telling what could have happened.
Instead, Vanderbilt held the ball for most of the game and converted over 50% of third downs, while Alabama had to make the most of its offensive possessions.
“They’ve been controlling it, they’ve been making it close, they’re gonna run the clock down, they’re gonna shorten the game,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said. “We knew that that was gonna be the case, we talked about it all week long.”
Execution
Alabama simply did not execute during the game. From the start, the struggles were primarily on defense, with missed tackles, turnovers and few defensive stops.
Alabama came into the game with the second-best third-down defense in the country, only allowing 17.2% of conversions. By the end of the game, Alabama allowed Vanderbilt to convert 12 of 18 third downs, more than all four of Alabama’s previous opponents combined.
The problem is that a team could have a perfect game plan, but when the game plan isn’t executed, it doesn’t matter how well the team prepared. That’s what happened with Alabama.
“Penalties hurt, got beat on man-to-man, and [on some plays] we just weren’t on the same page,” linebacker Deontae Lawson said. “For the most part I’ve seen everything they’ve ran on film.”
Staff and players have made it clear that practice and preparation were present; it was the execution during game time that wasn’t.
Turnovers
Although there were only two turnovers the entire game, those turnovers hurt. Alabama finished the game with one interception and a fumble.
The interception came on Alabama’s first offensive drive of the game. Milroe attempted to get the ball to receiver Ryan Williams, but he was hit as the ball arrived, resulting in the ball being tipped in the air and intercepted.
Vanderbilt returned the interception for a touchdown and then missed the extra point, making the score 13-0 after scoring on the game’s first drive.
“I gotta have better ball dominance and protect the football, so I take all ownership of that,” Milroe said. “I should have gotten through my progression and moved on.”
The fumble happened with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter when Milroe got hit in his blindside by an unblocked rusher. Vanderbilt capitalized and went on to score a touchdown, making the score 40-28.
Had the offense not given up a turnover, the Crimson Tide would have had an opportunity to take the lead on that drive.
Overall, limiting the turnovers would have limited Vanderbilt’s field position and momentum.
There’s never a guarantee of scoring; however, limiting turnovers is critical. Alabama only lost by 5 with two turnovers, few defensive stops and less than 18 minutes of possession, which shows that every mistake can be a game-changer.