NASHVILLE − After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama football woke up in time to beat host Vanderbilt 21-6 on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Meanwhile, an outstanding Crimson Tide defense never needed waking up, turned in another excellent performance.
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With the win, Alabama (8-2, 6-2 SEC) maintained its position for a potential berth in the SEC Championship Game. Here are some instant thoughts on the game:
Talking points on Alabama football
1) What to make of QB Keelon Russell’s performance? Call it gutty if nothing else. Although reports that backup Austin Mack would start proved erroneous, it was clear where they came from: Russell plainly wasn’t himself physically. He made a few outstanding throws as always but lacked his normal elusiveness. If Russell’s ankle injury lingers into the coming practice week, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mack started against Chattanooga next week.
2) Alabama OC Ryan Grubb made two third-and-1 play calls in the first half that summed up where this offense has been, and where it needs to go. The first was inexcusably bad: a fake reverse to Ryan Coleman-Williams − not exactly a ‘We are Alabama’ statement against a Vanderbilt defense that was the SEC’s worst − that was stuffed for a loss of 1 yard. However, Grubb seemed to have learned something with the next third-and-1: three tight ends in the game, and a handoff up the middle to Daniel Hill, who slammed ahead for a few yards and an easy conversion.
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3) The Alabama defense was absolutely dominant on a day that it had to be. The run defense was excellent, the pass rush was solid, and Vanderbilt had no answers. On the Commodores‘ lone scoring drive of the first half, which was set up by a Keelon Russell interception deep in Alabama territory, the UA defense pushed VU backward from the 17-yard line to the 34 before Vandy salvaged a 52-yard field goal. Alabama later forced a turnover on downs in the red zone. Ryan Coleman-Williams had a busier day as a punt returner than the chain crew did when Vanderbilt had the ball.
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Turning point
Lotzeir Brooks’ 39-yard touchdown catch on Alabama’s opening drive of the second half was the difference-maker. OK, so there was 12:18 left in the third quarter at the time − plenty of clock left for what was only a 14-3 lead − but the way Alabama’s defense was playing, a two-score lead was insurmountable.
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By the numbers
3 − Three times in 10 games this season, Alabama has failed to score in the first quarter (Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt).
What I liked
Dijon Lee’s 83-yard kickoff return to the Vanderbilt 12-yard line came with great timing for the Crimson Tide. Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor had just connected for a 57-yard field goal to close the gap to 14-6, making it a one-score game in the second half. Lee then sliced through the Commodores’ kickoff coverage untouched until he was brought down deep in VU territory. The return set up a Keelon Russell touchdown pass to Lotzeir Brooks.
What I didn’t like
Alabama’s offense got off to another brutally slow start, punting on all three of its first-quarter possessions, with only one first down to show for the first two of those. And that wasn’t even the low point. On its fourth drive, Alabama turned the ball over on downs after a turning a third-and-1 opportunity into a sack for a loss of 13 on fourth-and-7. The Commodores held the Crimson Tide scoreless on its opening drive for the seventh time in 10 games this season.
Tuscaloosa News sport columnist Chase Goodbread.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasego
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football defense flexes dominant form vs Vanderbilt | Goodbread