Alabama heads to Nashville this week with a fresh jolt of confidence and an old scar waiting for it.
The Crimson Tide are coming off a statement 31-13 road win over then-No. 14 LSU on Saturday night, a result that pushed them up to No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Now comes the return trip to Vanderbilt, the site of the low point in Kalen DeBoer’s tenure when Alabama fell 40-35 there on Oct. 5, 2024.
This will be Alabama’s first game in Nashville since that shocker, and DeBoer said the lesson from that night still matters.
“Everyone kind of has their own kind of way they look at each game,” DeBoer said, reflecting back on that loss. “And obviously, my job as the head coach is to take those experiences -- the good, the bad, the ugly -- to always apply them and make sure that we're better because of it. And so, that's what we'll do.”
He also made clear the message to his team is about staying locked in from one week to the next.
“Reset, do it again,” DeBoer said. “...
It starts all over. None of the plays, none of the stops, none of the points carry over.”
Alabama enters at 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference, while Vanderbilt is 4-5 and 1-5. The Commodores snapped a five-game losing streak last Saturday with a 25-23 road win over Mississippi State, but they are not the same team that stunned the Crimson Tide a year ago. Alabama got its revenge last season with a 30-14 home win over Vanderbilt.
The LSU game wasn’t a clean one for Alabama on defense. The Tigers outgained the Crimson Tide 457-285 and crossed midfield on each of their first seven possessions. Still, Alabama tightened when it mattered most, holding LSU to 10 points in four red-zone chances and forcing four turnovers on downs.
The offense has had its own issues lately, especially on the ground. Alabama ran for at least 124 yards in each of its first six games, but it has failed to reach 80 rushing yards in any of its last three.
Vanderbilt’s win over Mississippi State came with some drama of its own. The Commodores led 16-0 at halftime, then watched that margin shrink to 16-14 less than five minutes into the second half. They had to survive a two-point conversion attempt with 32 seconds left to escape with the victory.
Finishing drives remains a concern for Clark Lea’s team. Vanderbilt scored on all five of its red-zone trips against Mississippi State, but four of those ended in field goals. Brock Taylor was perfect on six field-goal attempts, including a pair from 54-plus yards, to carry the Commodores across the line.
Lea said the challenge this week is turning those lessons into a complete performance.
“We’ve learned some lessons, and this Saturday will be about have we mastered those lessons,” Lea said. “Can we protect the ball?
Can we make the available play? Can we be a resilient team, and be three phases interlocked?
If we can do that, we can win.”
Freshman quarterback Jared Curtis threw for 168 yards against Mississippi State, his lowest total since the season opener. It was also his first interception-free game since Sept. 12 against Delaware.
Vanderbilt also got a lift from its run game, piling up 160 yards, its most in an FBS game this season. Even so, the Commodores still rank next-to-last among SEC teams in rushing at 112.1 yards per game.
Lea said that part of the offense has to remain central if Vanderbilt wants a shot at another upset.
“Alabama’s got a great run front. These guys are big and physical, but this has got to be about who Vanderbilt is, what our identity is,” Lea said.
“It’s not always going to be pretty, but we got to commit to (the run game). ... That takes a ton of pressure off the quarterback.”
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