The much-anticipated rematch between Vanderbilt and Alabama brought with it some raucous fanfare: ESPN’s College GameDay. Excitement for the game picked up extra steam in the days preceding thanks to confident soundbites from Vanderbilt players, including Sedrick Alexander — who created buzz with a quote from a feature written by The Hustler’s Tristan Rutman. 

A strong contingent of Vanderbilt Faithful made the trip to Tuscaloosa to participate in the country’s biggest pregame show. The Hustler took a break from the festivities to bottle some of the excitement from the fans in attendance. 

Vanderbilt alum Mark Chalos (BA ‘94) made the trip from Atlanta to watch the team he supported through thick and thin perform on the nation’s biggest stage. 

“We knew GameDay was going to be down here, so we came to see that,” Chalos said. “Since the 90s, I’ve been watching [Vanderbilt].” 

Senior Logan Howard also made the trip, looking to attend his first ever Vanderbilt Football away game. 

“This year’s the best year we’ve had in a bit. But I think this year is going to show [other teams] that [Vanderbilt] is an actual legit school,” Howard said. “I think it will help with recruitment in the future.”

Graduate student Dylan O’Brien (DNP ‘27) matched Howard’s excitement for the future of the program and the school as a whole. 

“It couldn’t be better,” O’Brien said. “We’re on the biggest stage once again, not only for academics but athletics, too. It will only get better on the way up.” 

O’Brien believes that Vanderbilt’s current success will set the tone for the program’s future. 

“Because of NIL and also what Diego [Pavia’s] done for the program, I believe this is going to be the standard,” O’Brien said. 

The Hustler also interviewed Alabama student Cater Lawson for his thoughts on the game and the surrounding atmosphere. 

“[It’s] pretty surreal that I’m getting an [Alabama] and [Vanderbilt] GameDay as a student,” Lawson said. “If anyone’s distracted by [Vanderbilt’s] history, they shouldn’t be because Clark Lea is a great program builder.” 

Lawson expressed trust in Alabama’s ability to bounce back from last year’s loss. 

“[Alabama] weren’t really sustaining drives last year, but I expect a good four-quarter game,” Lawson said. “I think [Alabama is] playing a little bit better as a unit.” 

The key to the matchup is Alabama’s running game and talent, according to Lawson. 

“I wish [Alabama] could run the ball a little bit more. [Alabama has] not run the ball well at all this year,” Lawson said. “I think we have much better skill players than [Vanderbilt]. That’s recruiting, but it’s also Ty Simpson just getting the ball out more consistently than Milroe.” 

This week’s most anticipated college football matchup will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday, Oct. 4.