Whatever happens the rest of the afternoon, at least Vanderbilt will have the first seven minutes of today’s game against No. 1 Alabama to look back on fondly.
The Commodores took their opening possession and marched downfield, scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run by Sedrick Alexander go up 7-0. Then, with Alabama facing a 3rd-and-6 from its own 28, Vanderbilt (2-2) pounced on a tipped Jalen Milroe pass, with linebacker Randon Fontenette corralling the errant ball and running it back 29 yards for a touchdown.
The extra point failed, but with 8:03 remaining in the opening quarter, Vandy had a 13-0 lead over the top team in the country.
🚨 PICK SIX ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qmS9A14AJb
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 5, 2024
Alabama is No. 1 for a reason, and the Crimson Tide immediately responded with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, punctuated by running back Jam Miller finding paydirt from eight yards out.
The first quarter is now over, with the Commodores up 13-7. We’ve already seen Vandy upset Virginia Tech in its season opener and take Missouri down to the wire on the road, but hanging with Alabama for four quarters would be a different story entirely.
The Crimson Tide assumed the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll by virtue of beating No. 2 Georgia in Tuscaloosa last weekend. Alabama is 4-0 in its first season under head coach Kalen DeBoer.
You can watch the rest of today’s game from Nashville on SEC Network.
Related: Alabama Football Player Says Crimson Tide Are The ‘Standard’ For Everyone