On Saturday afternoon in Nashville, the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered their first loss of the 2024 season, as they were upset by the Vanderbilt Commodores by a final score of 40-35.
A game in which the nation’s No. 1 ranked team struggled, here are a few instant takeaways from Alabama’s loss at Vanderbilt in Week 6:
Alabama’s slow start
To keep things simple, Alabama’s start Saturday afternoon was not ideal, as the Crimson Tide trailed early after allowing a Vanderbilt touchdown on their opening drive, which was then followed by a Jalen Milroe pick-six to trail 13-0. Alabama however bounced back with a touchdown to trail 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, but had yet another slow start to the second quarter, and even trailed 23-7 at one point.
Third down defense
Alabama’s defense was simply not very good at getting off the field on third down Saturday afternoon. In all, Vanderbilt was 12-of-18 on third downs, as well as 1-for-1 on fourth down.
Ryan Williams again
Make it five-straight games with a touchdown to begin Williams’ Alabama career. The star freshman wide receiver finished the game with a stat line of three receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Time of possession
Vanderbilt completed dominated the time of possession between these two teams Saturday. In all, Vanderbilt controlled the ball for 39:22, while Alabama had a time of 17:52.