The idea of “complementary football” is an old coaching cliche, but it was on full display in Vanderbilt’s upset of No. 1 Alabama as the Commodores’ offense, defense and special worked in perfect synergy to create an unforgettable outcome. While quarterback Diego Pavia was the hero, there were myriad of factors that led to one of the SEC’s all-time great stunners.
Vanderbilt owned the nation’s longest losing streak against AP top-5 teams at 60 games when it welcomed the Crimson Tide to town. The ‘Dores were 23.5-point underdogs and were 0-10 all-time agains AP No. 1 teams. They had been outscored 100-0 the two previous times they faced a No. 1 Alabama team.
The list of facts and figures goes on and on. But any way you break it down, this is one of the most-surprising results of SEC football history. This is a Vanderbilt program that lost at Georgia State last month and finished 2-10 last season.
But for those paying close attention, there were also signs of progress this year. The Commodores upset Virginia Tech in Week 1 and played then-No. 7 Missouri down to the wire on the road in Week 4. The Commodores were also coming off a bye, which gave them time to get healthy and assemble a plan for taking down the Crimson Tide.
Here’s the breakdown of how Vanderbilt did it.
Controlling the football
When Kentucky stunned Ole Miss last week as a heavy underdog, the Wildcats did it by owning the time of possession. Vanderbilt copied that playbook and edged the Crimson Tide in time of possession by a whopping 42:08-17:52. The slog began with a game-opening 75-yard touchdown drive that ate 6:14 off the clock and it never let up.
Not once did the Commodores go three-and-out and five of their six scoring drives lasted four or more minutes. Alabama is…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-vanderbilt-beat-no-1-alabama-jalen-milroes-miscues-rat-poison-among-factors-in-shocking-upset/
Author : David Cobb
Publish date : 2024-10-06 01:45:59
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