What Members From the “College Gameday” Crew said are the Keys to Vanderbilt’s Game at Alabama

With under 24 hours until kickoff, two members from the “College Gameday” desk shared their thoughts on the Vanderbilt at Alabama game.

Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores running back AJ Newberry (23) gestures a first down against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 16 Vanderbilt faces its biggest test of the season this weekend as it takes on No. 10 Alabama at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

A year after the Commodores shocked the Crimson Tide in Nashville, the newest matchup between the two schools is this week’s sight of ESPN’s “College Gameday.” Nobody could have thought just a few weeks ago that this would happen, but a 5-0 start for Vanderbilt combined with Alabama's recent win at Georgia has the full attention of the nation on Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

With the crew of the show being in town, host Rece Davis and betting analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin spoke to the media Friday afternoon on what they felt were the keys to the game for Saturday’s game.

Stanford Steve believes the matchup to look out for is how Vanderbilt’s secondary performs against a talented Alabama offense.

“I think it's Vanderbilt secondary. They haven't seen anything like what Alabama brings to the table. It's the perimeter guys for Vanderbilt’s defense against the speed and power and ability that Alabama brings to the table, which I put in the upper tier of college football,” Stanford Steve said.

That ultimately is what could, in fact, decide the game. Alabama’s offense has a Heisman-caliber quarterback in Ty Simpson and three quality wide receivers in Germie Bernard, Ryan Williams and Isaiah Horton. The Vanderbilt secondary has held its own against its five opponents thus far and the defense as a whole has created at least one turnover in every game whereas the Alabama offense has yet to turn the ball over.

But taking on an Alabama offense, which could end up being the best offense the Commodores see this season, is a totally new challenge. Earlier in the week, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea acknowledged the challenge at hand and stressed that his defense will need to play “11 connected” against a high-powered Crimson Tide offense that looked unstoppable in the first half against Georgia a week ago.

One of the more obvious or talked about matchups in the game Saturday will be how Vanderbilt’s offense is able to move the ball against a wounded Alabama defense. Alabama is missing starting linebackers Jah-Marien Latham and Qua Russaw to injury and is missing defensive lineman James Smith for the first half due to a targeting call in Athens.

Pavia and the offense will have to find ways to use that to their advantage. But interestingly enough, Rece Davis feels the key to the game is an extension to Alabama’s defense holding its own against Vanderbilt’s offense. Davis said that he believes the Crimson Tide tackling Pavia early and preventing gains will be paramount to avoid a second consecutive upset. 

“The key for Alabama is to like the tackling part. They've got to get guys on the ground. If you go into those in depth metrics and analytics, Alabama's 112th in the country in tackle percentage, meaning opportunities for tackles and ones that are executed. They get about 80%, which is a little bit low,” Davis said.

Davis also referenced last year’s game between Vanderbilt and Alabama, where Vanderbilt forced Alabama to miss 10 tackles. Four of those missed tackles were broken tackles by Pavia, meaning the Commodores were difficult to bring down a year ago. And they are hoping they can do it again.

“I think Alabama's had trouble stopping the run. They haven’t been great at that, and they haven't always been the surest tacklers. They'll need to be sure to tackle tomorrow,” Davis said.

Alabama’s run defense is one area Vanderbilt hopes to exploit. In last season’s game, the Commodores ran the ball 54 times and ran for 166 yards. Last week against Georgia, the Crimson Tide allowed 225 rushing yards and in Week 1 against Florida State, the Seminoles managed to run for 230 yards. 

Alabama’s rushing defense ranks just 92nd in the country allowing 160.5 rush yards per game while Vanderbilt’s run attack ranks 18th in the sport, with the offense gaining 223.4 yards on the ground per game.

If Vanderbilt is able to use that mismatch and maximize its advantage from it while also forcing missed tackles, the Commodores could have a real chance to put a monumental win on their resume and the conversation surrounding Vanderbilt in the postseason would open wide.