The Alabama football team capped off Homecoming week with a 34-0 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.
It was a tale of two halves for the Crimson Tide. In the first half, the Tide came out flat, looking a step slower than Vanderbilt on offense and defense. They allowed Vanderbilt to move the ball down the field, but two missed field goals by the Commodores allowed the Tide to maintain the shutout.
“This was the first time all year that I felt we were flat,” head coach Nick Saban said. “We were flat in pre-game.”
The Tide opened the second half with a new found energy. After forcing Vanderbilt to go three-and-out on their first drive, Alabama drove the ball 94 yards on 12 plays, finishing the drive with a one yard touchdown by running back Trent Richardson. Eleven of the 12 plays on the drive were running plays, eight by Richardson for 64 yards.
“It just showed what we weren’t doing in the first half,” Richardson said. “We didn’t really get off to a fast start. Our mind wasn’t focused on the task at hand, but we talked to everybody and got our minds right.”
Richardson finished the game with 107 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, making this his fifth consecutive game with over 100 yards rushing. Richardson said getting 100 yards is special to him.
“It means a lot,” Richardson said. “Especially when you play against an SEC team and you have a 34-0 win. It’s something you have to be happy with.”
For Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC), quarterback AJ McCarron had what some would call a break out performance. McCarron went 23-of-30 with 237 yards and four touchdowns, making him the fourth player in Alabama history to throw four or more touchdowns in a game.
Alabama’s defense was dominant as usual. They held Vanderbilt to 190 yards of total offense on 43 plays. The Tide stuffed the run, holding the Commodores to 41 yards on 19 carries. So far this season, Alabama’s defense has only allowed two of its six opponents to rush for more than 50 yards in a game.
“With the way our defensive line and linebackers have been playing, I don’t know if anyone wants to run the ball on us,” cornerback Dee Milliner said.
For Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2 SEC), their offense was able to move the ball in the first half, but could not produce any points. Starting quarterback Larry Smith started the game well, but left the game in the first quarter with an injury and was replaced by Jordan Rodgers. Rodgers finished the game 11-of-18 with 104 yards, but also threw two costly interceptions.
Next week, Alabama travels to Oxford, Miss. to take on the Mississippi Rebels on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (CST) and will be televised by ESPN2.
