One week after knocking off No. 1 Georgia, Alabama was stunned 40-35 at Vanderbilt in a result that shakes up the College Football Playoff picture and the SEC title race.
It’s Vanderbilt’s first defeat of Alabama since Sept. 29, 1984 and its first defeat of a team ranked in the top five.
The second-ranked Crimson Tide entered the game more than a three-touchdown favorite against the Commodores, who last won a conference game on Nov. 19, 2022, against Florida. But Alabama looked flat coming off its thrilling defeat of Georgia last week.
Vanderbilt jumped out to a 13-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Commodores’ first touchdown came on the game’s opening drive with Sedrick Alexander capping off a 75-yard march that took more than six minutes. On the Crimson Tide’s first possession, Randon Fontenette intercepted Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.
Milroe would respond with two touchdowns runs in the first half as Alabama closed within 23-14 at halftime. The Crimson Tide would get within 30-28 when Milroe hit freshman Ryan Williams for a 58-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
From there, Vanderbilt took control. A field goal made it 33-28 and then a sack of Milroe forced a fumble that was recovered by Commodores defensive lineman Yilanan Ouattara. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia found Kamrean Johnson for a 6-yard touchdown to cap the ensuing drive and make the lead 40-28.
Alabama scored a late touchdown on a Williams run, but Vanderbilt was able to run out the clock with Pavia and the offense converting three first downs
Alabama’s loss leaves Texas, Texas A&M, LSU and Tennessee as the SEC’s unbeaten teams with seven weeks left in the conference race. The Tide still have hope of winning the league title or earning an at-large berth in the playoff, but their margin of error got a lot slimmer with a loss.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vanderbilt stuns Alabama to shake up SEC, College Football Playoff
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