Five Takeaways From No. 1 Alabama's Shocking Loss to Vanderbilt

What went wrong for the Crimson Tide in its historic loss to the Commodores?

Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia celebrates with fans after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images / Butch Dill-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide was stunned by Vanderbilt on Saturday with a stunning 40-35 loss on the road.

Vanderbilt moved down the field quickly and with a clear purpose on the game's opening drive. The Commodores were planning on attacking Alabama from start to finish, and that they did as the Crimson Tide never held the lead. Yes, you read that correctly.

There's so much to dissect from this historic upset at FirstBank Stadium. Here are five takeaways:

The Time of Possession Nightmare

Vanderbilt dominated Alabama in the time of possession by a score of 42:08-17:52. That's more than double the Crimson Tide's time spent with the ball in its hands! The Commodores were also the clear victors in the total play count, winning 75-46.

Alabama was able to keep it close with its explosive play style, which has been a main theme for the first half of the season, but Vanderbilt's methodical and extremely consistent 5.6 yards per play outweighed the Crimson Tide's 8.6 in this category, despite the stat numerically being in Alabama's favor.

This utilization of short but positive gains kept Alabama's offense off of the field while also increasing Vanderbilt's momentum for practically the entire game. Running the ball was a key catalyst to making this a reality as the Commodores logged nearly double the amount of rushing yards as the Tide. Running back Sedrick Alexander led the way with 21 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

"I mean, that's their style," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. "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 and 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."

Extremely Concerning Third-Down Defense

Alabama's third-down defense has been one of its best overall traits as the Tide's No. 1 rank reflects that. Coming into Saturday's game in Nashville, Alabama had allowed 11 third-down conversions on 64 attempts, which was good for the second-best percentage (.174) in college football.

However, Saturday was much different as Vanderbilt on a whopping 12-of-18 third-down attempts. Simply put, the Tide defense could not get off of the field, and the aforementioned time of possession difference is indicative of that. Alabama was able to keep it close with its explosive play style, which has been a main theme for the first half of the season, but Vanderbilt's methodical and extremely consistent 5.6 yards per play, especially on third down, outweighed the Crimson Tide's 8.6 in this category, despite the stat numerically being in Alabama's favor.

"The quarterback did a nice job of creating and we've got to do a better job of just being disciplined," DeBoer said. "Do our job, and he keeps things alive with his feet whether it was third down or just other downs over there. They converted some third-and-longs and those are the frustrating ones and so just great execution on their part."

The Silence of the Run Game

Alabama running backs Jam Miller and Justice Haynes were kept relatively quiet against Georgia in last week's thrilling win, but prior to the Vanderbilt game, it was inferred that the Tide could experiment with its 1-2 punch against an opponent who hadn't won an SEC game since 2022.

However, as previously stated, Vanderbilt got hot early and never looked back. In the first half, Miller had four carries for 44 yards, including a 32-yard run, and two scores, while Haynes logged five carries for 21 yards. But down 23-14 at the break, the run game was silent in the second half as they each had just one carry in the final two quarters.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is widely considered as one of, if not the best dual-threats in college football as he's logged two passing and two rushing touchdowns through the Tide's first four games of the season. But on Saturday, he mainly stayed in the pocket, as 10 rushing yards and one touchdown were his numbers in the run game.

A Solid Game Through the Air for Jalen Milroe

While Milroe was quiet in the run game, he still turned in a solid outing as a passer, as he completed 19-of-25 attempts (76 percent!) for 312 yards and a touchdown.

That said, early in the game, Milroe waited too long to throw to wide receiver Ryan Williams, who got popped when targeted and the ball flew up and into Vanderbilt linebacker Randon Fontenette's hands and he returned it 24 yards for a pick-six to go up 13-0. Additionally, Milroe was strip-sacked in the fourth quarter and the Commodores recovered.

Overall though, Alabama's offensive line did a nice job in pass protection as Milroe was only sacked twice, including the strip. The front five gave Milroe plenty of time to make throws throughout the night, which is why his completion percentage was his second-highest of the season, with the best mark of 81.8 percent coming in last week's win over Georgia.

One of Milroe's best drives of the night was Alabama's last one that ended with a score, as Milroe quickly led the Tide downfield on eight plays for 75 yards and a Ryan Williams reverse rushing touchdown on fourth and goal. DeBoer detailed what he told Milroe just before the 2:21 drive that cut the deficit to 40-35.

"As much as he's going to want to push the ball on the field, and he needs to feel like he could do that because we were making plays and we were getting guys open, he needed to make sure he always understood the down and distance situation and continue to make sure we were getting first downs with five minutes to go or so," DeBoer said. "I thought he did a great job."

Diego Pavia Leads Vanderbilt to Overcome the Impossible

Coming into Saturday, like Milroe, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was highly regarded for his dual-threat abilities as he had nearly the same amount of rushing attempts as passing attempts over the Commodores' first four games. Alabama held him in check in this category as he rushed for 56 yards on 20 attempts, but his constant rolling out of the pocket and option plays often seemed to confuse the Crimson Tide defense.

Pavia completed 16-of-20 attempts (80 percent!) for 252 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. Whether it was inside or outside of the pocket, Pavia had plenty of time to throw, as Vanderbilt's offensive line allowed zero sacks on Saturday evening.

As previously stated, Pavia was kept quiet in the run game, but on second-and-seven with a little over a minute remaining in regulation, he found a lane and rushed for eight yards to ice the game and complete the impossible.

"They're just slippery enough, especially the quarterback, just being able to make people miss," DeBoer said. "He's a tough kid and did a nice job. When you got to run into him, they do just enough play action and wrinkles at you to get you on the other spots with the other skill around him."

Alabama falls to 4-1 (1-1 SEC) and Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-1 SEC) picks up its first SEC win since 2022. The Crimson Tide will host South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC) next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ABC while the Commodores will travel to Kentucky (3-2, 1-2 SEC) on the same Oct. 12 date at 6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network.