Former Alabama coach Nick Saban will have a front and center view of his former team Saturday afternoon when the Crimson Tide host unbeaten Vanderbilt in the biggest SEC clash of Week 6. The Commodores pulled off one of the most stunning wins in league history last season against then top-ranked Alabama in Nashville, holding off the Crimson Tide, 40-35, behind Diego Pavia’s brilliance at quarterback.
That was the victory that kickstarted this Vanderbilt turnaround under Clark Lea and now, the 18th-ranked Commodores come to Tuscaloosa with playoff aspirations.
“I think these guys are a really good football team,” Saban said this week at the Monday Morning Quarterback meeting, via AL.com. “Clark Lea has done a fabulous job there. Obviously, Diego is a really good quarterback. They have a really good running back. This is actually a little better team, in my opinion, just watching them all away around than they had a year ago.”
To Saban’s point, Vanderbilt has cruised to five wins this season, destroying the opposition by an average of 30 points per contest. That includes a 24-point win at South Carolina that snapped the Commodores’ 16-game losing streak in the series with the Gamecocks.
On Alabama’s side, the Crimson Tide have leaped back toward the top 10 with notable play the last few weeks, including their 24-21 win at Georgia in the SEC opener.
Saban touched on Alabama’s “resiliency” since its opening loss at Florida State, which includes improved defensive effort and impressive numbers from quarterback Ty Simpson.
Saban likes the pace Alabama has shown offensively this season under Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb.
“They are a ball-control team,” Saban said. “One of the big differences in Alabama’s team that I see that could be a big benefit in the game is, a year ago, there were a lot of three and out and a lot of big plays. This year, they sustain the ball. Just like in the Georgia game, they kept the ball in time of possession.
“Seldom the team with more rushing yards has less time of possession, which was the case in that game. They are good on third down. I hope we can continue to run the ball a little bit better in that area.”
Factors to watch
- Vanderbilt ranks second in the SEC behind Missouri in rushing offense (223.4 yards per game) and if Alabama has shown a weakness this season, it’s stopping the run. Georgia averaged 6.9 yards per carry against the Crimson Tide over the weekend and Alabama ranks 14th in the SEC against the run (160.5 yards allowed).
- Alabama’s the only Power conference team without a turnover through the first five weeks. The Crimson Tide sit at a league-best plus-7 in turnover margin while the Commodores are slotted third at plus-5. Both of these offenses rarely give it away.
- Alabama has won 14 straight home games, the second-longest in the conference and third-most nationally. The Crimson Tide ended Georgia’s 33-game streak in Athens last weekend and will be looking to tie Missouri for the SEC’s best on Saturday. Ironically, Alabama travels to Missouri in Week 7.
- These two offensive lines have been impressive this season. Since being sacked three times and pressured several other times against Florida State, Simpson has barely hit the ground in Alabama’s last three games. Kadyn Proctor and the Crimson Tide’s offensive front has given up one total sack since Week 1, one sack fewer than Vanderbilt.
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