No. 1 Alabama upset by Vanderbilt: Are the Tide in Playoff bother after historic loss?

They’re calling it school soccer’s model of the Music Metropolis Miracle.

Vanderbilt made historical past Saturday, knocking off No. 1 Alabama 40-35. It marked the Commodores’ first-ever win over an AP top-five crew and simply the fourth time Alabama has misplaced as a No. 1 crew to an unranked opponent.

Diego Pavia was the star for the Commodores, passing for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He additionally rushed 20 instances for 56 yards. Vanderbilt jumped out to a 13-0 lead on a Sedrick Alexander 7-yard landing run and a 24-yard interception return by Randon Fontenette midway by the primary quarter and led 23-14 on the half.

It was the primary time the Commodores had defeated Alabama since 1984, and it got here one week after first-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer recorded the most important win of his brief tenure in a thriller towards Georgia.

Alabama had a 94 p.c likelihood to make the Faculty Soccer Playoff per Austin Mock’s mannequin coming into the weekend, the perfect likelihood within the nation. Its possibilities fell to 81 p.c after the loss, knocking it right down to a No. 8 seed.

The goalpost has left the stadium pic.twitter.com/tTlO0FrxtX

— Billy Derrick (@billyderrick10) October 6, 2024

Vanderbilt thrives in Saban’s shade

Vanderbilt has lengthy been a bottom-feeder of the SEC. The Commodores have been 0-60 all-time versus top-five groups, a streak courting again to 1936. Legendary former Alabama coach Nick Saban poked enjoyable on the Commodores two weeks in the past on “The Pat McAfee Present,” saying: “The one place you play within the SEC that’s not onerous to play is Vanderbilt. It’s no disrespect to them; it’s simply the reality.”

Vanderbilt had some enjoyable with that quote after the win.

NO WAY#Vandy performed this quote from Nick Saban after the upset over Alabama:

“The one place that’s not onerous to play within the SEC is Vanderbilt.” pic.twitter.com/QDfGufSQol

— Billy Derrick (@billyderrick10) October 5, 2024

It’s true that Alabama introduced a bevy of followers to Nashville, Tenn., anticipating a dominant win. Saturday’s sport introduced a unique actuality. The frustration from Alabama’s facet began to pour over earlier than the sport ended.

Senior and crew captain Malachi Moore was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for kicking the ball after a Vanderbilt quarterback kneel with a bit over a minute to play. On the sideline, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe sat in disbelief. With an analogous disposition, DeBoer addressed Moore’s outburst and the overall frustration of Saturday’s end result.

“There’s a number of guys which can be actually pissed off,” DeBoer stated. “I feel the hot button is that we flip that frustration into positives shifting ahead and ensure we keep in mind what we really feel right here tonight.”

Right here is Malachi Moore outburst at finish of Vandy upsetting Alabama. pic.twitter.com/21dIUvwsEj

— puntingiswinning (@puntingwinning) October 6, 2024

In the meantime, on the sector, the Vanderbilt devoted had one factor in thoughts: Get on the sector and go for the aim publish, a la Tennessee’s upset over Alabama in 2022.

Finally, the Commodores followers acquired the aim posts to Broadway in Nashville … after which tossed them into the Cumberland River. — Kennington Smith III

BREAKING: The aim publish has arrived onto Broadway 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/RKdVUrfcXD

— Aaron Grisham (@AGrisham247) October 6, 2024

The goalposts are within the cumberland! @VandyFootball pic.twitter.com/XSRiSC5vDo

— 102.5 & 106.3 The Recreation (@1025TheGame) October 6, 2024

Vanderbilt’s win is the most important of the yr

In pulling off the best Vanderbilt victory of the fashionable period — harkening again to the times of Dan McGugin roaming the sideline a century in the past — the Commodores generated pleasure for the longer term. And a little bit of remorse.

This crew must be 5-0. With out an upset loss at Georgia State and a double-overtime heartbreaker at Missouri, this may be the highest-ranked story of faculty soccer.

As it’s, Vanderbilt is a crew to look at for the remainder of the season due to Pavia and the magic he creates on this dazzling choice offense. He does all of it, and Alabama merely couldn’t cease him from making gigantic performs — largely by the air within the second half. — Joe Rexrode

Alabama isn’t in as a lot CFP bother because it might sound

The CFP margin for error has shrunk, in fact, for an Alabama crew that also has difficult street video games towards Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma forward.

But when the Crimson Tide maintain executing offensively the way in which they did prior to now two video games, they nonetheless have likelihood of being one of many 12 groups within the match. This was a brutal defensive effort, particularly late when Vanderbilt ran proper into that protection for key beneficial properties at instances.

Additionally, Vanderbilt’s offense is like nothing Alabama will see for the remainder of the season. This was project soccer, poorly executed by Alabama, per week after profitable the sport of the yr so far. Alabama ought to reply. Don’t run DeBoer out of city simply but. — Rexrode

First-half miscues

Pavia completed the primary quarter 4-for-4 for 56 yards; Vanderbilt possessed the ball for greater than 10 minutes and transformed three of its 4 third-down tries.

Alabama discovered itself down 7-0. On the Tide’s first possession, a tipped cross resulted in a decide six and Alabama’s deficit grew to 13-0.

VANDERBILT PICK 6

THE COMMODORES ARE UP 13-0 OVER ALABAMA 😮pic.twitter.com/Jkfg1efxGi

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 5, 2024

Within the second quarter, penalties damage Alabama. Trailing 13-7, Alabama compelled a punt on the Vanderbilt 47-yard line, however a penalty with each No. 2s (Zabien Brown and Ryan Williams) on the sector gave Vanderbilt a primary down. On the identical drive, face-mask and roughing-the-passer penalties gave Vanderbilt two extra first downs en path to a landing to extend its result in 20-7. Alabama almost fumbled the following kickoff, however the fumble name was overturned, stopping a disaster.

It’s the continuation of a development, because the Tide entered Saturday ranked 96th nationally in whole penalties and 104th in penalty yards.

Regardless of a near-even margin in whole yards (Vanderbilt 186, Alabama 159), the Commodores managed the sport by changing third downs — 7 of 10 within the first half. — Smith

Why didn’t Alabama attempt an onside kick?

After Williams scored his second landing, Alabama trailed 40-35. With 2:46 remaining and all three timeouts, Alabama had a alternative: try an onside kick or kick the ball downfield and belief the protection. The offense by no means acquired the ball again, because the Commodores ran seven performs for 54 yards to finish the sport. Afterward, DeBoer defined the thought course of.

“A number of consideration,” DeBoer stated of his choice to kick away. “Simply understanding all the pieces with the timeouts and the two-minute warning and all that, (it) simply actually felt like we have been going to be in a great place, even when they acquired one first down. Relying on when that was, we might nonetheless be capable to have period of time to maneuver down the sector. I don’t suppose it was a matter of us having the ability to discover guys and execute and rating offensively. It was only a matter of getting the ball again.”

The choice to provide Vanderbilt the ball again was questionable given the stream of the sport. Vanderbilt improved its yards-per-play common within the second half (to six.6, up from 4.7 within the first half) and transformed 5 of 8 third-down makes an attempt, ending 12 of 18 for the sport. General, Vanderbilt dominated the time of possession with greater than 42 minutes of clock management and punted the ball solely twice. It’s a bitter tablet to swallow for the coaches and gamers, however significantly for the offense, which had began to realize momentum. Alabama’s offense scored on its last possession of the primary half, the opening possession of the second half and twice extra in 4 makes an attempt within the second half. Milroe was aligned with DeBoer in trusting the protection to get yet another cease however acknowledged that not having the chance for a second consecutive profitable drive was disappointing.

“In fact, when you will have the eagerness of enjoying soccer, you need performs again, you need a possibility,” Milroe stated. “The most important factor for us is belief in each other. … I used to be assured within the protection getting the cease, 100%. We have been simply speaking on the sideline, getting the sport plan, so each time we get again on the sector, we have been clicking and shifting in the correct course.” — Smith

Williams’ magic isn’t sufficient

When Alabama wanted an enormous play, it referred to as on its 17-year-old phenom, Williams, and he delivered.

Milroe discovered Williams for 11- and 13-yard completions on the primary two performs of the second half, on a drive that resulted in a landing to chop the Tide’s deficit to 23-21.

A number of minutes later, after Vanderbilt prolonged the result in 30-21, Williams delivered one other spectacular play: a 58-yard landing wherein he tightroped the sideline on a contested catch and took it the space. Then, confronted with a fourth-and-goal and trailing 40-28, Williams’ 2-yard landing run put Alabama again inside one possession.

👀👀👀👀@Ryanwms1

📺: SEC Community pic.twitter.com/Vq9ZHy92Rf

— Alabama Soccer (@AlabamaFTBL) October 5, 2024

His three receptions for 82 yards and speeding touchdowns have been shiny spots for an Alabama roster that couldn’t recover from the hump to keep away from an upset. Amid a historic loss, the true freshman continued to construct his legacy early in his profession. — Smith

Required studying

• The place does Vanderbilt over Alabama rank amongst school soccer’s greatest No. 1 upsets?

• When was the final time Vanderbilt beat Alabama? Greater than 40 years in the past

• How does Vanderbilt’s upset over Alabama affect the Faculty Soccer Playoff?

(Photograph of Junior Sherrill: Matthew Maxey / Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)