GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Now, first-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will see the dark side of the Crimson Tide.
DeBoer became the first coach in Alabama and college football history to lose as the Associated Press No. 1 team to Vanderbilt, which has historically been the worst program in the Southeastern Conference. The unranked Commodores (3-2, 1-1 SEC) were 0-10 vs. No. 1 teams since the A.P. poll began in the 1930s. Vanderbilt was also 0-60 against top five teams in the poll.
Until Saturday night in Nashville, that is, when the 22-point underdogs shocked the world with a 40-35 victory over Alabama, which had just defeated No. 1 Georgia, 41-34, last week in Tuscaloosa and took over No. 1.
Vanderbilt beat Alabama for the first time in Nashville since 1977 and for the first time anywhere since 1984 after entering the game trailing in the all-time series, 60-19-4. The Commodores (3-2, 1-1 SEC) went into this season after 10 straight losing campaigns with five 10-loss seasons this century and eight since 1986.
That includes a pair of 2-10 seasons around a 5-7 year under current fourth-year head coach Clark Lea., who just three weeks ago lost 36-32 at Georgia State, which is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Sun Belt Conference.
Vanderbilt had 25 straight losing seasons from 1983-2007 under six head coaches.
“Too much to express right now,” Lea said to the SEC Network moments after the game at FirstBank Stadium on the Vanderbilt campus as pandemonium reigned around him with students storming the field.
Vanderbilt fans stormed the field at FirstBank Stadium on campus in Nashville Saturday evening after their unranked Commodores upset No. 1 Alabama, 40-35. (File photo).
“I’m proud of our team. I believe in our team,” Lea said. “I believe in what we’re building. There’s more for us than this. This isn’t the finished point, but it’s a hell of an arrival. Tonight we’ll celebrate it. I love this university. I love this team. Let’s go get some more.”
Lea played fullback at Vanderbilt from 2002-04 when the Commodores went 2-10, 2-10 and 2-9 with a 2-22 SEC record. He was LSU coach Brian Kelly’s defensive coordinator from 2018-20 when Kelly was Notre Dame’s coach and coached linebackers for Kelly there in 2017.
No. 13 LSU (4-1, 1-0 SEC), which was open Saturday, plays Alabama (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Nov. 9 in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers host No. 12 Ole Miss (5-1, 1-1 SEC) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Tiger Stadium on ABC. Ole Miss won 27-3 at South Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
“It took everything we had,” Lea said. The Commodores led 23-7 in the second quarter before Alabama cut it to 23-14 by halftime, then to 23-21 on its first possession of the third quarter. It appeared the Tide was on the verge of taking the game over and restoring order.
But Vanderbilt would not go away behind graduate senior quarterback Diego Pavia, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who transferred to Vanderbilt before this season after playing in 2022 and ’23 at New Mexico State. He played in 2020 and ’21 at New Mexico Military Institute.
“Games like this change your life,” Pavia said on the SEC Network before swarmed by teammates and fans. “It’s all about life.”
The SEC Network estimated some 70 members of his family attended the game.
“Where’s my family?,” he shouted when that was brought up and went off into the night.
Pavia completed 16 of 20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 20 time for 56 yards. His 36-yard touchdown pass to Junior Sherrill extended Vanderbilt’s lead to 30-21 in the third quarter. Alabama cut it to 30-28 on a 58-yard touchdown catch and run by true freshman sensation wide receiver Ryan Williams with 1:01 left in the third quarter. Brock Taylor’s 33-yard field goal extended Vanderbilt’s lead to 33-28 early in the fourth quarter.
Then Pavia’s 6-yard TD pass to Kamrean Johnson for a 40-28 lead with 5:07 to go was too much for Alabama to take. The Tide got within 40-35 on a 2-yard TD run by Williams on a reverse pitch on fourth down with 2:46 left. But DeBoer decided not to try an onside kick, and he never saw the ball again.
“Really felt we were going to be in a good spot, even if they got one first down,” DeBoer said. But they got three.
“Depending on when that was, we would still be able to have a good amount of time to move down the field,” DeBoer said. “I don’t think it was a matter of us being able to find guys and execute and score offensively. It was just a matter of getting the ball back.”
Pavia made sure that didn’t happen as Alabama couldn’t stop Die-go from going and going. He drove his team 54 yards in seven plays for first down after first down to run out the clock.
“Every time he touches the ball, we have a chance,” Lea said. “I love him. In so many ways, he embodies the program that we’re building. He deserves this stage. I’m proud of him, love him, and I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe completed 18 of 24 passes for 310 yards with a touchdown, but he also threw an interception. He rushed five times for 45 yards. Vanderbilt outgained Alabama, 418 yards to 394, and went Old School all over the Tide, possessing the ball for 42 minutes and eight seconds to a mere 17:52.
“That’s a really good football team,” Lea said of Alabama. “But this is the dream right here, and for the next 12 hours I’m going to enjoy the dream. We got more ahead of us, but this is what Vanderbilt football needs to be about – big wins on big stages. We’re going to go get some more.”
Vanderbilt has never been on a bigger stage and won. What’s next? The Grand Ole Opry?
Vanderbilt is at Kentucky next week, while Alabama hosts South Carolina.
“Obviously, extremely disappointed, frustrated,” DeBoer said. “That’s what everyone is like in the locker room right now. I feel we’ve got a great football team. We weren’t at our best today.”
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