Nashville, Tenn— Alabama entered Saturday’s contest having won 23 straight games against Vanderbilt.
That streak was snapped on a clear October day in Nashville, Tennessee. Alabama’s offense struggled to find its groove throughout, and the Tide’s defense couldn't find its way off the field, resulting in a 40-35 loss to the Commodores and Vanderbilt's first victory over an AP-ranked top 5 program in its program history.
FIRST QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—Touchdown Vanderbilt: Sedrick Alexander 7-yard touchdown rush (10 plays, 75 yards)
Vanderbilt 7, Alabama 0 | 8:46
—Touchdown Vanderbilt: Randon Fontenette 24-yard touchdown interception return (3 plays, 4 yards) (extra-point attempt after no good)
Vanderbilt 13, Alabama 0 | 8:03
—Touchdown Alabama: Jam Miller 8-yard touchdown rush (7 plays, 75 yards)
Vanderbilt 13, Alabama 7 | 4:22
Key play:
After digging themselves into a 13-point hole in just the first quarter, Alabama had no choice but to get the offense moving with a chunk play, and that’s what tight end CJ Dippre did. Jalen Milroe found Dipprie up the seam, who caught the pass at Alabama’s 31-yard line and rumbled down to the Commodores' 30 for a 46-yard gain. Alabama would finish the drive with a Jam Miller rushing touchdown for the first Crimson Tide touchdown of the day.
Player of the quarter:
Vanderbilt STAR Randon Fotenette parlayed a solid offensive start into fully snatching early hope for the Crimson Tide fans on Vanderbilts first defensive series. Fotenette batted down a Jalen Milroe passing attempt on Alabama’s second offensive play. On the following snap, Fotenette caught a deflected ball from Milroe and ran it 24 yards to the endzone, helping the Commodores jump out to a surprising early 13-0 lead.
SECOND QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—Touchdown Vanderbilt: Sedrick Alexander 1-yard touchdown rush (17 plays, 75 yards)
Vanderbilt 20, Alabama 7 | 9:32
—FIELD GOAL Vanderbilt: Brock Taylor 51-yard field goal (8 plays, 26 yards)
Vanderbilt 23, Alabama 7 | 4:10
—Touchdown Alabama: Jam Miller 3-yard touchdown rush (9 plays, 83 yards)
Vanderbilt 23, Alabama 14 | 1:25
Key play:
After Alabama cut back into the Vanderbilt lead, making it a 9-point hole in the second quarter, the Commodore offense looked like it had yet to skip a beat. Vanderbilt converted a third-and-five on a 31-yard option play and looked to test the Alabama secondary on the ensuing play. QB Deigo Pavia laced a beautiful ball down the Alabama sideline towards Vanderbilt wide receiver Junior Sherrill, but freshman defensive back for Alabama, Red Morgan, was in the perfect position to break up the pass, eventually forcing the Commodores to punt, which broke the Vanderbilt streak of three straight scoring drives.
Player of the quarter:
When Alabama looked left for dead in Nashville, reliable running back Jam Miller brought the Crimson Tide back into the game with two offensive plays of massive implications. Amid an offensive drive where Alabama’s offense looked desperate, down 23-7, on a second-and-6, Miller rumbled down the Vanderbilt sideline for a 32-yard gain and then scored on the following play, cutting into the Commodores lead.
THIRD QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—Touchdown Alabama: Jalen Milroe 14-yard touchdown rush (5 plays, 53 yards)
Vanderbilt 23, Alabama 21 | 12:01
—Touchdown Vanderbilt: Junior Sherrill 36-yard touchdown reception from Deigo Pavia (4 plays, 45 yards)
Vanderbilt 30, Alabama 21 | 2:13
—Touchdown Alabama: Ryan Williams 58-yard touchdown reception from Jalen Milroe (1 play, 75 yards)
Vanderbilt 30, Alabama 28 | 1:01
Key play:
Just after Vanderbilt extended the lead to nine with a 36-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-2, Alabama struck back like lightning. On third-and-7 of the following drive, Jalen Milroe threw a go ball to Ryan Williams, who jumped up between two defenders, caught it, and tight-roped down the sideline for an Alabama score, drawing the Crimson Tide back within two points of the Commodores.
Player of the quarter:
With his jaw-dropping touchdown in the third quarter, Ryan Williams extended his touchdown streak to five games, playing as many as a freshman. Williams, the walking human highlight reel, singlehandedly put Alabama back into the game when it looked like the Commodores would put them to bed.
FOURTH QUARTER
Scoring summary:
—FIELD GOAL Vanderbilt: Brock Taylor 33-yard field goal (9 plays, 60 yards)
Vanderbilt 33, Alabama 28 | 10:35
—Touchdown Vanderbilt: Kamrean Johnson 6-yard touchdown reception from Deigo Pavia (7 plays, 53 yards)
Vanderbilt 40, Alabama 28 | 5:07
—Touchdown Alabama: Ryan Williams 2-yard touchdown rush (8 plays, 75 yards)
Vanderbilt 40, Alabama 35 | 2:46
Key play:
Alabama had finally gotten the stand they needed, forcing Vanderbilt to kick a field goal with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. This allowed the offense to take the field with a chance to grab the Crimson Tide’s first lead of the evening. Senior edge rusher for Vanderbilt, Miles Capers, came around to Jalen Milroe’s blind spot, stripping the football and allowing Vanderbilt to recover, and giving the Commodores the football where they would score on the ensuing drive, ultimately becoming the game-defying play for a monumental upset.
Player of the quarter:
On Vanderbilts most important offensive series of the game, with the opportunity to put the Crimson Tide away in the fourth quarter, Deigo Pavia executed to maximum efficiency, completing all three of his passing attempts, including a six-yard touchdown pass to Kamrean Johnson.
