NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 3 Alabama beat Vanderbilt 21-6 on the road on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't pretty.
About 13 hours before the game, Crimson Tide basketball outlasted Seton Hall 82-76. But Nate Oats' offense was stagnant for 75 percent of the first half. That was until an end-of-half run, starting with 4:15 remaining, that propelled his team to an eventual victory.
It's strange to compare a football game to a basketball contest from the same program, but Kalen DeBoer and company underwent something eerily similar on Saturday.
Alabama and Vanderbilt were tied 0-0 to end the first quarter, as the Tide logged 61 passing yards, three rushing yards and was 1 of 4 on third down. The Commodores got the scoreboard running when kicker Brock Taylor converted a 52-yard field goal with 4:13 remaining in the first half.
UA had no answers offensively at the time. Alabama's first five drives went as followed: punt, punt, punt, turnover on downs, interception. Sometimes a positive play from the opponent can trigger an extra jolt of energy in a team, and that was the case after Taylor's field goal.
Crimson Tide running back Daniel Hill proceeded to run for a combined 33 yards on back-to-back carries. A few plays later, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell, who started on Saturday despite an ankle injury that was expected to keep him on the sideline as a backup option, found tight end Marshall Pritchett in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. This gave Alabama a 7-3 lead with six seconds left in the first half.
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The Crimson Tide got the ball to start the second half and continued right where it left off. Russell connected with wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks for a 39-yard score. It was a 6-play, 75-yard drive that lasted less than three minutes.
Taylor hit another field goal from over 50 yards out about four minutes later to make it a 14-6 game. But this was another instance of the Tide getting fired up after allowing points, as cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. took the following kickoff 83 yards. Brooks scored his second touchdown four plays later.
But like the basketball game, Vanderbilt refused to go away. Russell was strip-sacked midway through the fourth quarter, setting the Commodores up with good field position. However, Alabama got the fourth-down stop with under four minutes remaining.
Alabama's defense looked great all day long. It was one of defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's top performances of the season. The Crimson Tide prevented Vanderbilt from causing any trouble offensively, as it shut down the run game and gave the Commodores no chances on third down.
Both sides of the ball helped Alabama advance to an 8-2 record, including a 6-2 SEC clip. This was the Tide's third-to-last game of the regular season, as it'll face Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.
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Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.
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