Alabama Football Realizes 'We're Human' in Upset Loss to Vanderbilt

The Crimson Tide got an early season wakeup call just one week after a massive win over Georgia.

Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) shakes hands with Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Micah Bell (26) after a game at FirstBank Stadium. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–– Alabama said all the right things throughout the week. Head coach Kalen DeBoer said he felt like his team "prepared hard" all week long, but when it came down to the game Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Vanderbilt's play on the field did all the talking.

Vanderbilt's offense bullied Alabama's defense from the opening possession on the way to a 40-35 upset victory over the No. 1 Crimson Tide. Just one week after knocking off No. 2 Georgia, Alabama falls to an unranked team in front of a crowd that was filled to a majority with Crimson Tide fans. It's just the second time Alabama has lost to an unranked opponent since 2007, and the first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984.

"Of course it’s frustrating because, who wants to lose?" Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan said after the game. "We’ve got to go get back to work. We’ve realized we’re human. We’ve realized nothing’s going to be easy. We’ve got to work for it. It’s all about respect and back to work. It’s all we can do. It’s happy to go back to work and be able to go back to work and see how this thing works out.”

Alabama wasn't surprised by how Vanderbilt played, the Crimson Tide just couldn't stop it. The Commodores scored on six of their first eight drives and possessed the ball for 42:08. Vanderbilt ran 75 plays to Alabama's 46.

"I mean, that's their style," DeBoer said. "That's what they've been doing. They've been controlling it. They've been making it close. They're going to run the clock down, shorten the game. We knew that that was going to be the case, we talked about it all week long. All week I've said [Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea] has done a great job of playing team football, and that's exactly what they did. It comes down to being assignment sound, and they put you in isolated spots where one guy has to get the ball carrier down. And, they're just slippery enough, especially the quarterback, just being able to make people miss."

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finished 16-of-20 for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns with no turnovers. He also had 56 rushing yards. Time after time, Pavia helped the Commodores convert on third down, which kept drives alive to stay on the field and wear down the Alabama defense. Vanderbilt converted 67 percent (12 for 18) of its third-down attempts.

Some of Alabama's veteran defensive players began to lose their poise and control as the game wore on, including an outburst from captain Malachi Moore in the final minutes. The defense struggled to play discipline football throughout.

Alabama's offense had a lot of success outside of two turnovers–– one pick-six in the first quarter and a sack fumble in the fourth quarter. Both were costly, but the offense was able to move the ball when it needed to for the most part.

Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe had his second straight 300-yard performance. He felt like the team did a really good job of preparing, but the execution didn't translate over into the game.

"The best thing about football is opportunity," Milroe said. "Now, we have the opportunity to get better. We have the opportunity to reflect. So this is going to be so important for us as a group to really just channel in, acknowledge that there’s still room for us to improve and get to the best of our ability. I trust the guys in the locker room. That’s no question. We just need an opportunity like this to present itself so that we can reflect and build. I’ve been in this situation before, and I know exactly what we need to do. Just continue to go on the same path and continue to have the same mindset.”

Alabama players do have experience losing in the regular season and having to respond. Last year, the Crimson Tide lost to Texas in Week 2 and rallied back to win the SEC and make a run to the College Football Playoff. But this is a different type of loss. Keenan called it a "wakeup call," and said he's glad it happened early in the season so that Alabama has time to fix its problems. And after looking at the tape on Sunday, there will be a lot the coaching staff has to fix as the Crimson Tide prepares to bring South Carolina into Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"The guys in the locker room, we just talked about that there's only one option to move forward, to get back to work," DeBoer said. "I feel we've got a great football team. We weren't at our best today. We're gonna find out how much we care about each other, and what it looks like moving forward. We've been tested in different ways, really, a lot of the games here this season, and this is a different type of test for us now in our response."

See also: What Kalen DeBoer Said After Alabama's Stunning Loss to Vanderbilt

Instant Analysis: Vanderbilt 40, No. 1 Alabama 35

Why Alabama Opted Not to Onside Kick in Final Minutes of Vanderbilt Loss