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Vanderbilt has steadily improved each season under head coach Derek Mason.
Coming off a bowl season, it already was already 3-0, building momentum and confidence. But that all came to a screeching halt when the Tide rolled into Nashville on Saturday.
Entering the game, Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur ranked first in the SEC in completion percentage (71 percent), fourth in yards per game (234.3) and second in touchdown passes (8). In addition, he hadn’t thrown an interception all season.
That changed Saturday, too: Shurmur completed 4-of-15 passes (a 26.7 completion percentage) for 18 yards and an interception.
Alabama’s 59-0 victory was an absolutely beatdown across the board.
But it was particular impressive on defense.
The Tide held Vanderbilt to three first downs, and at no point did they ever manage to cross midfield. After averaging 346 yards per game in their first 3 games, they were only able to earn 78 against a Tide defense that saw three of their key pass rushers return.
Anfernee Jennings, Rashaan Evans and Dylan Moses all returned, which was a huge boost for Alabama’s defense. Jennings and Evans were especially impressive.
Alabama's Rashaan Evans just shoved a 300-pound offensive lineman like he was a pillow. https://t.co/bWNAnHXgub
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 23, 2017
The above tweet from Sporting News is a perfect summarization of how the entire game went for Vanderbilt. The Commodores were simply outmatched at every turn, and the offense had absolutely no answers for the Tide’s speed and physicality on defense.
Alabama cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Levi Wallace played extremely well. Averett was particularly impressive in run support, and Wallace was the closest thing to a shutdown corner that Alabama has displayed all season.
Coming into the season, many thought Trevon Diggs would replace the departed Marlon Humphrey, but Wallace has emerged as one of the biggest surprises on defense.
The best news was that this was the most complete game that Alabama has played defensively all season, and it came against a much-improved Vanderbilt offense. Yes, the test versus Shea Patterson and the rest of the Ole Miss offense should be even more difficult next week, but it was still encouraging to see.
Up to this point, no one has questioned the Tide’s ability to put elite talent on the field, but they had not shown that level of dominance that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, on either side of the ball.
Saturday, that all changed, and they should only continue to get better as some of the younger guys continue to grow into their roles.
If one thing is certain, it’s that no one will be criticizing the Alabama defense following this dominant performance.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
