No. 3 Alabama overcame a shaky start and a massive gamble on an injured Keelon Russell, securing a critical 21-6 road win over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. This victory keeps their SEC Championship and College Football Playoff dreams firmly in sight.
DeBoer Rolled the Dice, and It Almost Backfired
Man, did things get spicy before kickoff. All week, the talk was about star quarterback Keelon Russell’s ankle injury. ESPN’s Pete Thamel even reported Friday that backup Austin Mack was gonna get his first start of the season. The plan, everyone thought, was to rest Russell, get him healthy for the stretch run. But Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer had other ideas. After pregame warmups, where Russell “looked better than anticipated,” DeBoer pulled a shocker and started his main man. What a call, right?
The decision looked dicey early. Both offenses were sputtering, and no one scored until Vandy kicker Brock Taylor nailed a 52-yard field goal with 4:13 left in the first half. And guess what set up that field goal? A Keelon Russell mistake! He threw an interception deep in his own territory to Vanderbilt’s Dontae Carter, trying to hit a flat pass. You could feel the collective groan from Bama fans. But give Russell credit, he’s a fighter. He immediately marched the Tide offense 75 yards down the field in just over four minutes, hitting tight end Marshall Pritchett for a nine-yard touchdown pass with literally six seconds left before halftime. Talk about a momentum swing! Alabama went into the locker room up 7-3.
Russell Finds His Rhythm, Despite a Late Scare
The second half started with Alabama putting the pedal down. Russell connected with wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks for a 39-yard scoring strike on their first possession, pushing the lead to 14-3. Vandy managed another field goal, but Alabama kept pouring it on. Noah Rogers set up the next score with an electrifying 83-yard kickoff return, and Russell sealed the drive, hitting Brooks again from nine yards out for his third touchdown of the day. Suddenly, it was 21-6, and Bama looked to be cruising.
But this is college football, so you know there had to be more drama. With less than seven minutes left, Russell fumbled the ball after getting sacked by pass-rusher Miles Capers. You could feel Vandy getting some new life there, thinking they had a shot at a comeback. However, the Alabama defense stepped up huge, forcing a turnover on downs at their own 10-yard line with less than four minutes remaining. That was it. Rally squashed. Russell finished the day 22-of-33 for 217 yards, three touchdowns, and that one early pick. Pretty solid for a guy who wasn’t supposed to play!
Alabama’s win was messy, but it was massive. They’re now 8-2 overall and 6-2 in SEC play, sitting pretty for the SEC Championship Game and a College Football Playoff bid. They’ll face FCS Chattanooga next Saturday, then it’s the Iron Bowl against Auburn on November 28th to close out their regular season. For Vanderbilt, the nightmare continues. After a school-record 10 wins last season, they’re now 4-6 overall and a brutal 1-6 in the SEC. They’ve got road games against Florida and then a home stand against No. 8 Tennessee left. For Alabama, though, the dream is still very much alive, all thanks to a gutsy call and an injured star who refused to sit out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
Leave a Reply