After a week off, Vanderbilt Football (2-2, 0-1) will return to FirstBank stadium to face No. 1 Alabama this Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CDT. The Commodores are coming off a 30-27 double-overtime loss to the No. 9 Missouri, where they failed to capitalize on a series of mistakes from the Tigers, which included three missed field goals. Despite these errors, Missouri still notched a win after Vanderbilt missed a 31-yard attempt to tie it. Now on a two-game losing streak, the Commodores need to regroup and deliver a perfect performance to overcome top-ranked Alabama.
Alabama comes to Nashville after pulling off an upset victory over then No. 2 Georgia in the most-watched primetime game of the regular season since 2017. The Crimson Tide fended off a fourth-quarter comeback from the Bulldogs, ultimately picking off quarterback Carson Beck’s would-be game-tying touchdown heave. Jalen Milroe had a standout performance, amassing 374 passing yards and 117 rushing yards, while Ryan Williams had a 75-yard touchdown to seal victory for the Crimson Tide.
Vanderbilt Hustler: Alabama is coming off of a four-game winning streak. How would you assess the team’s momentum going into this game against Vanderbilt?
Elijah Burks: They have a lot of momentum right now because that game against Georgia was a huge win for the program. With [head] coach [Kalen] DeBoer being from the Pac-12, there [was] this underlying narrative of, ‘Could he do it in the SEC? Could he [play] SEC ball?’ Georgia is a good team, but [Alabama] –– [while] they weren’t good in the second half — you saw what they were able to do in the first half. Even when they went down late in the game, they were able to finish the drive with that crazy touchdown pass to Ryan Williams. Overall, there’s a lot of momentum heading into a game like this, but at the same time, you kind of have to be wary because the Georgia game had a lot of emotion. [Alabama] needs to make sure that players don’t let loose on their morals.
VH: I know there were some really strong performances from the Georgia game –– could you talk us through some that stood out to you?
EB: Well, the most obvious one is Ryan Williams. He should be a senior in high school right now –– that’s the crazy part. He’s already got 470 yards in four games, and he put out a crazy performance in his first SEC showing. Georgia has a very good secondary, but he was able to get six catches, 117 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, [Alabama] has a pass rusher, Que Robinson; he got his first start of the season last week and already has four sacks on the year. That’s someone that Vanderbilt might need to look out for. One more impact player is Kadyn Proctor, who has been a mammoth at left tackle. PFF said he allowed zero pressures and zero sacks against a stout Georgia defensive line, and overall, [Alabama’s] entire offensive line performed above expectations last week.
VH: Vanderbilt has recently shown that it can be a tough competitor, especially in its last couple of games. What does Alabama need to be cautious of?
EB: Don’t underestimate [Diego Pavia]. [Vanderbilt] has a great quarterback and [Alabama] needs to make sure it has style, preparation and doesn’t underestimate [its] opponent. This is not a Vanderbilt team like in years past: It has a good offense that can still score. We saw how well they played Missouri. Vanderbilt has a very underrated defense. It took Missouri a long time to get going even though they have explosive playmakers. I have a feeling that Vanderbilt’s going to be able to take away the deep passing game, so Milroe is going to need to do what he did last week and hit the intermediate throws –– don’t try to go boom or bust every single play –– and hopefully have long extended drives, not having real letdowns going into this game.
VH: Is there anything else that you learned from the Georgia game that you think is important to look out for?
EB: The biggest thing I learned from Georgia was that the offensive play calling was much more diverse than the previous three weeks. [Alabama] fans were expecting the first three weeks against lower-tier opponents to have vanilla play calling. Against Georgia, they really opened up the playbook. I think they should keep the playbook open. Vanderbilt’s a pretty good team this year, and, especially going into SEC play, things can turn very quickly. As for the defensive side, Wommack emphasized wanting to create turnovers, and they got four turnovers off Beck. He’s gonna be a first-rounder next year, so that’s a very impressive task.
VH: What’s your score prediction for this game?
EB: I’m going to go with 41-20, Alabama. I don’t think [Alabama] is going to be able to pull away like previous opponents –– Vanderbilt is a good SEC team this year. They’re going to be dangerous and this could be a trap game. I just think overall, Vanderbilt doesn’t have the talent yet to match Alabama or Alabama’s explosive playmakers. I also think [Alabama’s] offense will get things going, especially in the first half, and hopefully build along that for a good lead and walk away with a victory against a good Vanderbilt team.
