Vanderbilt football meets Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Here is your first look at Alabama.
By 14Powers.com SEC Football
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Alabama Season So Far
| Date | Opp. | Time/Result | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/03 | Utah State | W 55-0 | Home |
| 09/10 | Texas | W 20-19 | Away |
| 09/17 | LA Monroe | W 63-7 | Home |
| 09/24 | Vanderbilt | 7:30 pm | Home |
| 10/01 | Arkansas | 12:00 pm | Away |
| 10/08 | Texas A&M | 8:00 pm | Home |
| 10/15 | Tennessee | 8:00 pm | Away |
| 10/22 | Miss State | 8:00 pm | Home |
| 11/05 | LSU | 12:00 pm | Away |
| 11/12 | Mississippi | 12:00 pm | Away |
| 11/19 | Austin Peay | 12:00 pm | Home |
| 11/26 | Auburn | 12:00 pm | Home |
Key Stats
| Stat | Alabama | Vanderbilt |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Offense | 37.5 | 43.3 |
| Scoring Defense | 9.5 | 28.7 |
| Total Offense | 466.5 | 439.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 219.5 | 232.0 |
| Passing Offense | 247.0 | 207.7 |
| Team Passing Eff. | 147.59 | 152.69 |
| Total Defense | 253.5 | 434.7 |
| Rushing Defense | 79.0 | 137.0 |
| Pass Yards Allowed | 174.5 | 297.7 |
| Team Pass Eff. Def. | 107.71 | 138.63 |
| Turnover Margin | -0.50 | 0.33 |
Alabama Injuries and Suspensions
[WR] Tyler Harrell (Foot) – Questionable
[WR] Aaron Anderson (Knee) – Out
[WR] JoJo Earle (Foot) – Out
Source: statfox.com
Challenges for Vanderbilt
I’m not sure where we start. We will start with the basics, the weaknesses of Alabama. The Tide’s passing offense is not great. They are 73rd nationally and 8th in the SEC in passing offense. That said in Bryce Young, they have the best passer in college football.
Alabama does not play perfect football. They are 121st in penalties per game. Maybe that’s because when the Tide is up by 30 points in the fourth quarter and there’s a could either way penalty the refs have mercy on the losing team.
Alabama is 109th in net punting. They average almost five fewer net yards per punt than Vandy. The Tide is 102nd nationally in turnover margin. Keep in mind that Alabama’s poor ranking in passing offense doesn’t mean they are bad passers. Coaches usually will ride the run rather than throwing, if possible.
It comes down to Vanderbilt stopping the run and keeping Alabama from running wild offensively. The Commodores have to produce some yardage offensively while forcing some Alabama punts. The last time these two met I think the Crimson Tide punted once in the entire game and the Commodores had just one first down. That can’t happen again.
Saturday‘s game kicks off at 6:30 PM CT (7:30 PM ET). Watch this SEC football game on the SECN Network.
