Instant Analysis: Vanderbilt Suffers First Loss of Season Against Alabama

Vanderbilt Commodores On SI’s Joey Dwyer and Graham Baakko broke down Vanderbilt's loss to Alabama.

Oct 4, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores tight end Cole Spence (16) is tackled by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Bray Hubbard (18) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 16 Vanderbilt dropped its first game of the season to No. 10 Alabama by a score of 30-14.

Do not let the score fool you, this game was a closely contested game. The Commodores made a statement early by forcing Ty Simpson’s first interception of the season in the red zone. They followed that up by a Sedrick Alexander 65-yard touchdown run to put Vanderbilt in the lead.

Alabama did battle back with a touchdown of its own with a Ryan Williams touchdown nearly midway through the second quarter. But Pavia connected with Alexander on a forward pitch to punch in a second touchdown.

The Commodores and its fans felt like it had all the momentum in the game. The team had a dream start to the game and proved it could compete with a high-quality team. But with 17 seconds left in the first half, momentum started to swing back into the hands of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide tied the game at 14 off a 27-yard touchdown reception from Germie Bernard. After halftime the momentum continued.

Vanderbilt’s offense was quickly halted, especially in the rushing attack. Vanderbilt only had nine rushing yards in the second half and just 119 total yards in the second half after having 214 in the first half.

Vanderbilt’s defense did give the team a chance to stay in the game. When Alabama could have pulled away early in the second half, it was the Commodore defense that held Alabama to field goals and kept the game at one score before the Crimson Tide kicked a third field goal in the second half to extend the lead to 23-14.

The aforementioned third field goal drive was the backbreaker. Alabama chewed off 8:29 off the clock and little time for a Vanderbilt comeback. 

“We knew coming in that this would be a game won on third downs and won in the red zone. And those are two areas we've been really good at on offense, and I think on both sides of the ball, we struggled on third down tonight. I think you got to give Simpson a lot of credit for extended plays and conversion downs. Obviously the first fourth and seven conversion was huge in the first half that led to a touchdown. But he's a good player, and they made more plays than we made tonight on third down. Offensively, we just seemed to never get rid of them, especially in the second half. So too many three and outs, and that allowed them to take the time of possession,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said.

Up next, Vanderbilt goes into its first bye week of the season after playing the first six weeks of the season consecutively. It will be a nice time for the team to rest and prepare for LSU after the bye week in Nashville.