No. 1 Alabama upset by Vanderbilt: Is the Tide in Playoff trouble after historic loss?

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They’re calling it college football’s version of the Music City Miracle.

Vanderbilt made history on Saturday, knocking off No. 1 Alabama 40-35. It marked the Commodores’ first-ever win over an AP top-five team and just the fourth time Alabama has lost as a No. 1 team to an unranked opponent.

Diego Pavia was the star of the game for the Commodores, passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 20 times for 57 yards. Vanderbilt jumped out to a 13-0 lead on a Sedrick Alexander 7-yard touchdown run and a 24-yard interception return by Randon Fontenette halfway through the first quarter.

The Commodores led 23-14 at halftime as Alexander added a 1-yard scoring run. A late touchdown by Jam Miller cut Alabama’s deficit to single digits before the half, but Vanderbilt’s lead was the buzz of the day across the country.

It was the first time the Commodores defeated Alabama since 1984.

Coach Kalen DeBoer recorded the biggest win of his short Alabama career last week against Georgia, but the challenge this week was keeping his team focused for a proverbial “trap game” at Vanderbilt.

However, Alabama fell victim to the slow start. Vandy had scored 13 points against Nick Saban-led Alabama teams in four meetings. It scored 23 in the first half alone on Saturday.

Alabama had 94 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff per Mock’s model entering the weekend, the best probability in the country. Its chances fell to 80 percent after the loss, knocking it down to a No. 8 seed.

Vanderbilt thrives in Nick Saban’s shade

Vanderbilt has long been a bottom-feeder of the SEC. The Commodores were 0-60 all-time vs. top-five teams, a streak dating back to 1936. In fact, Nick Saban poked fun at the Commodores two weeks ago on the Pat McAfee show, saying, “The only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play is Vanderbilt. It’s no disrespect to them, it’s just the truth.”

Vanderbilt had some fun with that quote after the win.

Vanderbilt’s win is the biggest one of the year

In pulling off the greatest Vanderbilt victory of the modern era — its first win ever against an AP top-5 opponent — harkening back to the days of Dan McGugin roaming the sideline a century ago, the Commodores generated excitement for the future. And a bit of regret.

This team should be 5-0 right now. Without an upset loss at Georgia State and a double-overtime heartbreaker at Missouri, this would be the highly-ranked story of college football.

As it is, Vanderbilt is a team to watch for the rest of the season because of quarterback Pavia and the magic he creates in this dazzling option offense. He does it all, and Alabama simply could not stop him from making gigantic plays — mostly through the air in the second half. — Joe Rexrode

Alabama isn’t in as much CFP trouble as it may seem

The CFP margin for error has shrunk, of course, for an Alabama team that still has challenging road games against Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma ahead.

But if the Crimson Tide keep executing offensively the way they did in the past two games, they still have a very good chance of being one of the 12 teams in the tournament. This was a brutal defensive effort, especially late when Vanderbilt ran right into that defense for key gains at times.

Also, Vanderbilt’s offense is like nothing Alabama will see the rest of the season. This was assignment football, poorly executed by Alabama, a week after winning the game of the year to date. Alabama should respond. Don’t run Kalen DeBoer out of town just yet. — Rexrode

First-half miscues

Pavia finished the first quarter 4-for-4 for 56 yards as Vanderbilt possessed the ball for more than 10 minutes and converted three of its four third-down tries.

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Alabama found itself down 7-0 after the Commodores scored a touchdown. On the Tide’s first possession, a tipped pass resulted in a pick six, and Alabama’s deficit grew to 13-0.

Into the second quarter, penalties hurt Alabama’s chance for momentum. Trailing 13-7, Alabama forced a punt on the Vanderbilt 47-yard line, but a penalty with both No. 2s (Zabien Brown and Ryan Williams) on the field at once gave Vanderbilt a first down. On the same drive, a facemask and roughing the passer gave Vanderbilt two more first downs en route to a touchdown to increase its lead to 20-7 with 9:32 remaining in the second quarter. Alabama nearly fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but the fumble call was overturned, preventing a catastrophe.

Alabama finished with those three penalties for 33 costly yards. It’s the continuation of a troubling trend as the Tide entered Saturday ranked 96th nationally in total penalties and 104th in penalty yards.

Despite a near-even margin in total yards (Vanderbilt 186, Alabama 159), the Commodores controlled the game by converting third downs — 7-of-10 in the first half. The result was a 21:28 to 8:32 advantage in time of possession.

Williams’ magic isn’t enough

When Alabama needed a big play it called on its 17-year-old phenom Ryan Williams — and he delivered.

Milroe found Williams for 11- and 13-yard completions on the first two plays of the second half, a drive that resulted in a touchdown to cut the deficit to 23-21.

Several minutes later, after Vanderbilt extended the lead to 30-21, Williams delivered another spectacular play — a 58-yard touchdown in which he tightroped the sideline on a contested catch and took it the distance. Then, faced with a fourth-and-goal and trailing 40-28, Williams’ 2-yard touchdown run put Alabama back within one possession.

His three receptions for 82 yards and rushing touchdowns were bright spots for an Alabama roster that couldn’t get over the hump to avoid an upset. Amid a historic loss, the true freshman continued to build his legacy early in his career. — Kennington Smith

(Photo of Diego Pavia (2) and Sedrick Alexander (28) celebrating: Carly Mackler / Getty Images)





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Erika Walls is a journalist who loves writing about business and finance news. She's been working in the industry for over 15 years, and she's published hundreds of articles on everything from the latest IPO to the hottest new stock pick.

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