No. 10 Alabama avenged its 2024 loss to Vanderbilt in its 30-14 triumph over the No. 16 Commodores on Saturday. Its defense surrendered no points to the Commodores in the second half.
Vanderbilt was limited to just 22 yards on 14 carries following a first-quarter performance that saw it rush for 113 yards on five carries. The Commodores opened the scoring with a big play on the ground, as running back Sedrick Alexander broke free for a 65-yard score.
Alabama defensive tackle Tim Keenan III told teammates after Vanderbilt’s first drive that the game wasn’t going to go that way.
“I don’t know what needs to happen, but we can’t go out like that,” Keenan said that he told teammates. “We know what’s going on, we’ve been practicing all week, we know what we’ve got to do, so let’s just execute.”
Alexander rushed for just 7 yards the rest of the game after picking up 69 yards on his team’s first drive. Vanderbilt took a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter but was held to 152 total yards following the score.
Quarterback Diego Pavia completed just 10 of 19 second-half pass attempts for 110 yards.
“They honed in on doing their part,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said of the defense. “I felt like we kept the option stuff under control, but I thought the guys did a good job with their eyes. I thought we took some good steps.”
Alabama’s defense forced two red zone turnovers by Pavia, with an interception by Keon Sabb allowing the Crimson Tide to take firm control of the contest.
“I feel like we just had a good call,” Sabb said. “Coach put me in the right position. I just did my job and the ball ended up hitting me right in the chest.”
Alabama will travel to Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday to face off against the Missouri Tigers. The game is slated to kick off at 11 a.m. CT, and fans can tune in on ABC.
