Alabama helped add a new project to Vanderbilt’s construction plans in the south end zone of FirstBank Stadium. So when it comes time to replace a torn-down goalpost, maybe Kane Wommack and his porous defense should help front the bill.
Just don’t pay the defensive coordinator’s unit by the hour. They didn’t get much of anything done during their roughly 42 minutes on the field in No. 1 Alabama’s 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday night.
I’d say the Crimson Tide’s defense is more capable of demolition than construction work. Then again, that involves knocking things down. Lately, Alabama hasn’t done much of that.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Tide compiled nine missed tackles against Vanderbilt while also failing to sack quarterback Diego Pavia. Meanwhile, the Commodores stacked up 26 first downs while going 12 of 18 on third-down conversions.
Malachi Moore was the only Alabama player capable of getting Tide defenders off the field in the fourth quarter. That came during the team captain’s hissy fit in the final seconds when he disobeyed Wommack's attempt to sub him off by sending Bray Hubbard back to the sidelines.
Alabama’s defense embarrassed itself in nearly every way Saturday night, but is the Tide’s season sunk with the Vanderbilt goalposts in Nashville’s Cumberland River? In today’s column, we’ll discuss where Alabama’s title hopes stand following its inharmonious performance in the Music City.
Pour yourself a drink — because you will need it — and let’s dive in.
Drink of the week: Rat Poison
The rat traps Alabama laid out in preparation for Saturday’s “trap game” against Vanderbilt didn’t do their job. Looking back, the Tide would have been better suited to spend its time scheming up a better way to tie up Pavia behind the line of scrimmage.
Then again, after the game, head coach Kalen DeBoer claimed that his side was well-prepared for Saturday’s matchup against the Commodores. So how did top-ranked Alabama fall to a Vanderbilt team that previously lost to Georgia State this season?
Perhaps, the Tide consumed a bit of the “rat poison” heaped its way following last weekend’s win over Georgia. Alabama spent last week hearing about its electric offense and path to the College Football Playoff. Coaches practically begged reporters to ask about the upcoming game against Vanderbilt, but discussion of the Commodores never came.
When I met up with our friends at Session Cocktails early last week, I thought I helped come up with the perfect drink to celebrate Alabama’s ability to avoid distractions. Instead, we created one emblematic of the Tide’s struggles.
Just like the praise Alabama received last week, the new Rat Poison cocktail is sweet and easy to sip on. However, consume too much and you’ll be spending the next morning with your head in your hands.
The dangerous concoction calls for 1 ounce of white rum, 1 ounce of Midori, ¾ ounces of lemon juice and ½ ounce of cane syrup. Shake all the ingredients over ice and strain the mixture into a coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry and enjoy… or forget… or both.
Cheers!
(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)
Is Alabama’s season sunk?
Inhale. Now exhale. Now inhale again.
I’m writing this column on a Sunday morning. Unlike some of the instant takes from Saturday’s debacle, I’ve had a 250-mile car ride and a few hours of sleep to sit on Alabama’s loss.
It’s just as embarrassing for the Tide as it was at the final whistle. However, the sky isn’t falling quite as much as some of the doomsday columns would have you believe.
Alabama was one of four top-10 teams to suffer a defeat Saturday. Three of those came against unranked opponents — Vanderbilt over No. 1 Alabama, Arkansas over No. 4 Tennessee and Washington over No. 10 Michigan — while No. 9 Missouri was blown out by No. 25 Texas A&M. The Tide’s upset loss to a Commodores team that didn’t previously have a top-five win in its program history is the most egregious. But let’s not forget that there’s a 12-team playoff this year, and Alabama is the only one of Saturday’s losers with a top-five win on its résumé.
Two weeks ago, few would have batted an eye over the prospect of Alabama being 4-1 heading into Week 6 of the season. Of course, the expectation was that the Tide would have lost at home to Georgia and rebounded on the road against Vanderbilt. In actuality, the reverse might end up being better for Alabama in the long run.
Sure, this loss is embarrassing, but Alabama still owns college football’s best win and controls its destiny moving forward. If the College Football Playoff was held tomorrow, the Tide would be in… comfortably. So back off the ledge a bit and take another one of those deep breaths for good measure.
Time will tell how Alabama responds to Saturday’s defeat. Will it be galvanizing, like the 2015 loss to Ole Miss or last year’s Week 2 wake-up call against Texas? Or will it foreshadow future stumbles like the 2010 loss at South Carolina or the forgettable 2022 trip to Tennessee?
Speaking of the Gamecocks, they’re one of the biggest losers from last night’s upset in Nashville. South Carolina will now have to face an angry Alabama in what figures to be a get-right game at 11 a.m. CT next Saturday inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Assuming Alabama is able to rebound against the Gamecocks, we should learn more about the Tide’s title chances in the games to follow.
A three-game stretch against Tennessee, Missouri and LSU was always going to define Alabama’s season. However, those games currently appear a lot more manageable than they did at the beginning of the year.
Tennessee has the offensive weapons to gash Alabama’s defense when the Tide heads to Knoxville for the Third Saturday in October. However, the Volunteers managed just 332 yards in a 19-14 loss at Arkansas this weekend.
Missouri looked similarly toothless in its 41-10 loss at Texas A&M, managing just 254 yards against the Aggies. Like Alabama, the Tigers also struggled against Vanderbilt, needing double overtime to take down the Commodores at home last month.
Alabama’s trip to Death Valley on Nov. 9 could be tricky, but this year’s LSU team has hardly impressed so far. After dropping its opener to a now two-loss Southern California team the Tigers struggled to win on the road against South Carolina and looked unconvincing in a home win against UCLA.
After its three-game gauntlet, Alabama still has a trip to Oklahoma and an Iron Bowl to worry about. But, both those games shouldn’t trouble the Tide, assuming it is able to get its season back on track.
Saturday taught us a few things. First, Alabama needs to focus on itself before it begins looking too far into the future. Second, chaos is always lurking around the corner in college football.
To the surprise of some, the sun came out in Tuscaloosa this Sunday morning. And there’s still time to make corrections before it sets on the Tide’s title hopes this season.
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