Tag: Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt shocks the world, upsets No. 1 ranked Alabama

No. 1 Alabama falls to Vanderbilt in the upset of the year.

I can’t believe what I am saying right now, but the Vanderbilt Commodores have shocked the world and knocked off the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. It was an awful afternoon from the Crimson Tide all on fronts, but especially defensively.

It sticks out as one of the more memorable upsets in college football in recent memory, and the Commodores deserved it. They rushed out to a 23-7 lead in the 2nd quarter and never relinquished it. Alabama didn’t do themselves any favors with six penalties for 57 yards and two turnovers while Vanderbilt played an incredibly clean game. Vanderbilt also dominated time of possession with 42:08 to Alabama’s 17:52.

Alabama’s Playoff hopes are far from over, but the margin for error is almost non-existent now. The defense will have some serious soul-searching to do after allowing 418 total yards of offense and forcing no turnovers or sacks. Even Saban suffered a lost to Louisiana Monroe in year one, DeBoer and this staff will be fine.

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Diego Pavia leads upsets of Auburn, Alabama in consecutive years

Diego Pavia masters upsets of football teams from Alabama

The state of Alabama missed a good one in quarterback Diego Pavia.

Auburn and Alabama have learned that lesson painfully.

Pavia, a 6-foot-200-pounder, has quarterbacked teams that defeated the Tigers and Crimson Tide in consecutive seasons … at different schools.

The Pavia magic started in 2023 when he was the quarterback for New Mexico State. The Aggies went into Auburn and pummeled the Tigers, 31-10.

Pavia passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in November when New Mexico State earned its first win over an SEC team in 28 tries.

Fast forward to October 2024. Pavia had transferred to Vanderbilt via the portal and was facing an Alabama team that had not lost to the Commodores since 1984.

Pavia did it again with his stirring performance against the top-ranked team in the country.

He was 16-of-20 passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Pavia added 56 rushing yards on 20 attempts as Vanderbilt downed Alabama, 40-35, in an all-time stunner.

Pavia was beyond jubilant in a salty interview after the game.

Alabama football fans react to Crimson Tide’s upset loss at Vanderbilt

Social media reacts to Alabama’s upset loss at Vanderbilt.

On Saturday afternoon, the Alabama Crimson Tide suffered their first loss of the 2024 season, as the program was upset in Nashville by the Vanderbilt Commodores, 40-35.

Kalen DeBoer’s first loss as head coach at Alabama, this was only a week after the program defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, making this a truly shocking result for everyone. What are people saying about this result as well?

Let’s take a look at what some are saying on social media after Alabama’s shocking 40-35 loss on the road at Vanderbilt:

Vanderbilt knocked off No. 1 Alabama, and college football fans had so many jokes

Down goes the No. 1 team!

Maybe Alabama celebrated its win over Georgia last week a little too long because the Crimson Tide did not look prepared for a road game against Vanderbilt on Saturday.

They fell into a deep and surprising hole against the Commodores and were down 23-7 at one point, and even though they mounted an impressive comeback attempt, Vanderbilt knocked off the No. 1 team with a stunning 40-35 win.

After Week 5’s games, Alabama replaced Texas as the No. 1 team, but it looked like anything but against Vanderbilt. Its defense was filled with holes, and the offense struggled to get much going, especially after Heisman Trophy favorite Jalen Milroe throwing a pick-six on the Crimson Tide’s first possession.

It was Alabama’s fourth overall loss to an unranked opponent as the AP Poll’s No. 1 team and first loss of its kind since 2021 against Texas A&M. On the other side, this was Vanderbilt’s first win over an AP Poll top-5 opponent after previously being 0-60, per the SEC Network broadcast. The Commodores also snapped a 23-game losing streak against Alabama.

Nick Saban isn’t with Alabama anymore, but that had little impact on college football fans relishing this historic loss.

How College football Twitter reacted as Vanderbilt knocked off No. 1 Alabama

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Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt shock top-ranked Alabama

Vanderbilt stuns top-ranked Alabama in SEC play

Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea was born in 1981. Three years later the Commodores defeated Alabama. They hadn’t done it again … until Saturday.

In the most stunning of upsets, the Commodores defeated No. 1 Alabama, 40-35, in SEC play.

This was the first loss as Alabama coach for Kalen Deboer and it was a stunner. The Crimson Tide came in 23.5-point favorites. They never led.

Alabama were 64-3 against unranked opponents. Vandy was 0-60 against top five foes. It was 0-10 against the No. 1 team in the country.

Alabama had beaten Vanderbilt 23 straight times. The last time the Commodores downed the Crimson Tide was Sept. 19, 1984. On that day, Vandy won, 30-21, in Tuscaloosa. That game was Alabama’s first homecoming loss in 26 years.

Vanderbilt had not won at home against Alabama since 1976.

Quarterback Diego Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State, led the Commodores. He threw for 252 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also had 57 yards rushing.

This was the second straight year Pavia led an upset over an SEC team from Alabama. In 2023, he threw for 201 yards and three TDs as the Aggies ripped Auburn, 31-10.

“This is the dream right here,” Lea said. “For the next 12 hours I am going to enjoy the dream.”

Vanderbilt settled for a 33-28 lead early in the fourth quarter after it appeared the Commodores had gone up by two scores.

Pavia made a fantastic play, throwing a backward pass to Richie Hoskins, who ran into the end zone.

However, a holding penalty was called and Vandy had to settle for a field goal.

On the next drive, Milroe was hit and fumbled. The football was recovered by Vanderbilt’s Yilanan Ouattara, an international prospect from Cologne, Germany.

Ouattara is 6-foot-7 and 311 pounds. He played for the Cologne Crocodiles in high school. His bio says he competed in swimming, tennis and crew.

Vanderbilt capitalized on the turnover when Pavia threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Kamrean Johnson and it led 40-28 with 5:07 left.

On a fourth down play after a Vanderbilt timeout, Alabama handed the ball to teenage wideout Ryan Williams, who ran into the end zone. The PAT made the deficit 40-35.

That was the final offensive play for Alabama. Pavia and Vanderbilt ate up the final 2:21 with multiple first downs. The Crimson Tide was helpless to stop Vanderbilt as it was all game.

Instant reactions to Alabama’s road loss at Vanderbilt

Alabama suffered their first loss of the 2024 season Saturday.

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.

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe throws pick-six against Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt picked Jalen Milroe and took it back for a touchdown

Vanderbilt got the jump on Alabama on Saturday in Tennessee.

The Commodores surged to a 13-0 lead, courtesy of a rushing touchdown and pick-six of ‘Bama QB Jalen Milroe.

Randon Fontenette made the pick and returned it 25 yards for the score. The Commodores must have been stunned by their prosperity and double-digit lead because they missed the PAT.

Alabama regained its composure and went 75 yards in seven plays to cut the deficit to 13-7 after the PAT.

Alabama wide receiver ruled out for Vanderbilt game

Alabama will be without one of their top wide receivers Saturday at Vanderbilt.

The status of an injured Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver entering Week 6 against the Vanderbilt Commodores became clearer Friday night, as junior Kendrick Law was officially downgraded from questionable to out.

In addition to Law, linebacker Justin Jefferson was listed as probable once again on Friday night’s SEC Availability Report entering the program’s Week 6 matchup against Vanderbilt.

So far this season, Law has seen action in each of Alabama’s four games where he has a combined stat line of two receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. Law has also rushed for six yards on two attempts, as well as returned two kickoffs for 77 yards, which translates to an average of 38.5 yards per return.

In the absence of Law, there will be a few Alabama receivers that will likely see increased action Saturday against Vanderbilt alongside the duo of Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard. Some of these names include Kobe Prentice and Cole Adams.

Staff predictions for Week 6 matchup between Alabama and Vanderbilt

The Roll Tide Wire staff make their picks for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt.

Now ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team, the Alabama Crimson Tide hit the road to Nashville, Tennessee, for a conference matchup against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday.

It is the first SEC road trip for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama, and here are the Roll Tide Wire staff predictions for Alabama-Vanderbilt:

Matt’s Prediction – Alabama 48, Vanderbilt 13

In the head-to-head series, Alabama has owned the Commodores, and this game will likely be no different. Vanderbilt will not be able to keep up with Alabama offensively, meaning the Crimson Tide should cruise to a victory.

Sam’s Prediction – Alabama 45, Vanderbilt 3

The Commodores have looked much improved to start the 2024 season. They beat Virginia Tech and took No. 9 Missouri to double-overtime. But, they still don’t have the talent or coaching to keep up with DeBoer and this Alabama team coming off a massive win. Vanderbilt’s only real hope is it catches the Tide sleep-walking with three top 15 games ahead in the next month.

Brody’s Prediction – Alabama 42, Vanderbilt 10

Alabama is coming off one of its most impressive wins in recent memory. Last weekend, the Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs. It was Kalen DeBoer’s first SEC victory. With Alabama coming off a huge win, the coaching staff has made it clear than this is a new week and a new opponent to prepare. A challenge that I feel like this team will take on with a full head of steam. While Vanderbilt is an improved team from a season ago, I think the Crimson Tide have too many offensive weapons for the ‘Dores to keep things close.

Alabama wide receiver listed as questionable for Vanderbilt game

Alabama had two players listed on the SEC’s initial Week 6 Availability Report.

The SEC released their initial Availability Report for Week 6 on Wednesday night, with a total of two Alabama Crimson Tide players listed ahead of their game with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Those two players were wide receiver Kendrick Law and linebacker Justin Jefferson, who were both listed as questionable and probable, respectively.

Law has a pair of receptions so far this season for 41 yards and a touchdown, while also having rushed for six yards on two attempts, as well as returned two kickoffs for 77 yards. Jefferson however has been a key contributor for the Crimson Tide defense so far, recording 13 tackles, one TFL, and one forced fumble.

Vanderbilt also had eight players mentioned on the SEC’s Availability Report on Wednesday night, headlined by three players being out.

With the next SEC Availability Report set to come out Thursday night, will Law and Jefferson be listed once again? Till will ultimately tell.