Vanderbilt broke a 40-year losing streak against Alabama and got the first win over a top-five team in program history with a 40-35 stunner over the No. 1 Crimson Tide.
The Commodores got a pick-6 in the first half and put the game away in the fourth quarter after Alabama QB Jalen Milroe fumbled as he was sacked.
Eight plays after Milroe’s fumble, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia found Kamrean Johnson for a 6-yard TD on third down. It was yet another third-down conversion for the Commodores in a day filled with them.
Until Saturday, Vanderbilt hadn’t beaten Alabama since a 1984 win in Tuscaloosa. And the series hadn’t been close in recent years. In the four times Alabama played Vanderbilt when the Crimson Tide was coached by Nick Saban, Vanderbilt scored a combined 13 points.
The Commodores hit that number in the first quarter on Saturday when Randon Fontenette intercepted a deflected pass and ran it in 29 yards for a TD.
Alabama cut the Vanderbilt lead to five on a fourth-down touchdown run by freshman sensation Ryan Williams late in the game. But Vanderbilt was able to run the clock out with three first downs and prevent Alabama from getting a chance to win the game with another touchdown.
Not only is the win the first for Vanderbilt over Alabama in 40 years, it’s the first time the Commodores have beaten the Crimson Tide in Nashville since 1976. Alabama had won 23 consecutive games over Vanderbilt dating back to that 1984 win and Vanderbilt entered the game 0-60 against teams ranked in the top five of the AP Top 25.
Last season, Pavia was the starting quarterback of a New Mexico State team that ran Auburn out of its own stadium. Saturday, he powered Vanderbilt to the biggest win in program history.
Pavia’s transfer to Vanderbilt wasn’t one of the biggest transfer portal moves of the season. But it’s turned out to be one of the most consequential already. He was incredibly clutch throughout the game and threw just four incompletions. Pavia was 16-of-20 passing for 252 yards and two TDs. His first TD came on fourth down in the third quarter with the Commodores leading by Alabama by just two.
Vanderbilt was 12-of-18 on third downs and Pavia’s TD pass was its only fourth-down attempt. Alabama’s defense simply couldn’t get off the field. Vanderbilt held onto the ball for over 40 minutes and didn’t turn it over while turning both of Alabama’s turnovers into touchdowns. That’s a recipe for an upset every single time.
No one would have guessed that Kalen DeBoer’s first loss as Alabama’s coach would come at Vanderbilt, a team that was picked to finish last in the 16-team SEC. Make no mistake, the Commodores are feisty and have a chance to contend for a bowl this year. And it’s clear that Alabama has some work to do.
The Tide looked phenomenal in the first half against Georgia a week ago before letting the Bulldogs take the lead late ahead of Ryan Williams’ heroics. Williams was awesome again on Saturday — he had a stupidly good TD catch in the fourth quarter — but it’s clear that he and Milroe can’t carry Alabama by themselves.
Milroe was 19-of-25 passing for 312 yards and completed passes to nine different receivers. Williams had three catches for 82 yards and two total scores. But the run game managed just 84 total yards and the defense gave up too many big plays through the air.
Alabama’s playoff hopes aren’t shot by any means, but the Tide are now the shining example of just how tough life in the SEC is going to be for all of the top teams. If Alabama is losing on the road to Vanderbilt, it’s hard to see anyone else going undefeated during the regular season.
