“Alabama football realizes we are only human” after surprising loss to Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Alabama said all the right things all week. Head coach Kalen DeBoer said he felt his team “prepared hard” all week, but when it came to the game Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Vanderbilt’s play on the field spoke for itself.

Vanderbilt’s offense harassed Alabama’s defense from the first possession en route to a surprising 40-35 victory over the No. 1 Crimson Tide. Just a week after beating No. 2 Georgia, Alabama falls to an unranked team in front of a crowd that largely consisted of Crimson Tide fans. It is only the second time Alabama has lost to an unranked opponent since 2007 and the first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984.

“Obviously it’s frustrating because who wants to lose?” Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan said after the game. “We have to get back to work. We realized that we are human. We realized that nothing will be easy. We have to work for it. It’s all about respect and getting back to work. This is it. “All we can do is get back to work and see how things develop.”

Alabama wasn’t surprised by Vanderbilt’s play, the Crimson Tide just couldn’t stop it. The Commodores scored on six of their first eight drives and had the ball 42:08. Vanderbilt played 75 games, Alabama 46.

“I mean, that’s her style,” DeBoer said. “That’s what they did. They checked it. They managed to make it close. They will run down the time and shorten the game. We knew that would be the case, we’ve been talking all week about how (Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea) did a great job of playing team football and that’s exactly what they did in isolated spots Spots where a player has to overpower the ball are just slippery enough, especially the quarterback, because he’s just capable of making 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 and time again, Pavia helped the Commodores score on third down, which kept the offense going 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 progressed, including a temper tantrum from captain Malachi Moore in the final minutes. The defense struggled to play disciplined football throughout.

Alabama’s offense had great success with two turnovers – a pick-six in the first quarter and a sack fumble in the fourth quarter. Both were costly, but the offense was largely able to move the ball when needed.

Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe had his second straight 300-yard performance. He felt the team did a really good job of preparation, but the execution didn’t impact the game.

“The best thing about football is the opportunities,” Milroe said. “Now we have the opportunity to get better. We have the opportunity to think about it. That’s why it will be so important for us as a group to really commit and recognize that there is still room for improvement to achieve the goal. “I trust the guys in the locker room. We just need an opportunity like this to reflect and build and I know exactly what. We just have to continue on the same path and continue to have the same attitude.”

Alabama players have experience losing in the regular season and having to respond. Last year, the Crimson Tide lost to Texas in Week 2 and bounced back to win the SEC and make the College Football Playoff. But that’s a different kind of loss. Keenan called it a “wake-up call” and said he was glad it happened early in the season so Alabama had time to fix its problems. And after watching the tape on Sunday, there will be a lot for the coaching staff to figure out as the Crimson Tide prepares to bring South Carolina to Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“The guys in the locker room, we were just talking about the only way to move forward and get back to work,” DeBoer said. “I feel like we have a great football team. We weren’t at our best today. We’ll find out how much we care about each other and what the future holds. We’ve been tested in different ways. “There’s really a lot of games this season and this is a different kind of test for us now in terms of how we respond.”

See also: What Kalen DeBoer said after Alabama’s stunning loss to Vanderbilt

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