Hello and Roll Tide!

The Crimson Tide will travel to Nashville this Saturday to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Alabama is 63-18-4 all-time against Vanderbilt and currently holds a 23-game winning streak in the series. Alabama has dominated the last 3 games with a combined score of 148-3. This Vanderbilt team is not the usual walk-over team of the past, they currently sport a 2-2 record, one of those wins being Power-5 Virginia Tech. Newly ranked #1 Alabama does not want this status to get to the players’ heads. The staff planted mouse traps around Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility Monday in reference to Nick Saban’s famous “Rat Poison” comments. DeBoer and staff have been talking all week about the 1-0 mentality and appear to be locked in for this SEC battle. Below are some injury notes, a Vanderbilt Commodores Preview, and Week 6 Storylines. Let’s go!

Depth/Injury Notes:

· Kendrick Law is listed as Questionable · Justin Jefferson is listed as Probable

Week 6 Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores

Saturday night, Vanderbilt will play host to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Vanderbilt currently has 2 wins on the season (they had 2 wins last season) and are averaging 37 points per game. The offense has improved significantly behind New Mexico State transfer Quarterback Diego Pavia. You may be familiar with Diego, as he was the starting QB last season when New Mexico State beat Auburn 31-10 in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Through 4 games, Diego has 6 passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He is also a dual-threat quarterback: Diego has rushed for 279-yards with 2 touchdowns this season. Vanderbilt has primarily moved the ball on the ground, averaging 39.3 rush attempts per game. In the offseason, Vanderbilt hired a new offensive line coach, Chris Klenakis. Klenakis is a veteran, coaching in the college ranks since 1990. Chris spent the last two years as the O-line coach for Liberty (2022) and Kennesaw State (2023). As well as bringing in an experienced coach, Vanderbilt revamped their O-Line via the transfer portal. Starting Right Tackle Chase Mitchell transferred in from Liberty and Center Steven Losoya transferred in from Mississippi State. With all this change, the run game has improved as well as pass protection. Vanderbilt’s line is among the best in the country, allowing only 1.75 sacks per game. Diego has spread the ball out, completing passes to 13 different receivers. Eli Stowers leads the team with 19 receptions; however, we should keep an eye out for 4-star freshman Joseph McVay. If Vanderbilt finds a way to stay in this game, it will likely be due to big plays and this talented Freshman is a playmaker. Head Coach Clark Lea is a defensive minded head coach. Lea was a line-backers coach at various schools from 2010-2017 before getting the Defensive Coordinator gig at Notre Dame. From 2018-2020 Notre Dame went 33-5 making 2 College Football Playoffs. Lea faced off against the Tide in the 2020 Rose Bowl but was unable to stop Devonta Smith and company. Lea took the Vanderbilt job in 2021. The Commodores were 0-9 in 2020 so he started from the ground up. In year 2, Vanderbilt broke a 26-game SEC losing streak and won 5 games. Last season was a let-down 2-10, however it seems that Lea has them on the right track in 2024. Vanderbilt’s defense has improved, allowing 23.2 points per game. They allowed 36 points per game in each of the last two seasons. As well, there has been a significant improvement in yards allowed per game: 334/game in 2024 vs 455/game a season ago. Vanderbilt brought in 22 transfer players in the 2024 class as well as four 4-star freshmen. The Commodores 2024 recruiting class ranked 42nd in the Country, their best rank since 2018. This may be the best Vanderbilt team in years as Lea has proven to be resourceful in the transfer portal and continues to attract High School talent. Saturday we will see just how much Vanderbilt has improved as they face off with the best of the SEC.

Week 6 Storylines:

Don’t eat the Rat Poison: Alabama reached the #1 spot in the AP Poll for the first time since October 2, 2022. Every sports news outlet has been raving about the Alabama-Georgia game. Alabama’s win vaulted them up many power rankings and they are the betting favorites to win the National Title. Vanderbilt is a 24 point underdog, everyone is expecting a no-contest. This is exactly the “Rat Poison” that Saban famously mentioned years ago. DeBoer will have to manage players expectations and mindsets all week as they prepare for Vanderbilt. Will Alabama get off to a slow start? Or were they able to avoid the Rat Poison?

Run the ball, Justice and Jam: Jalen has been a very efficient passer all season long, and the Georgia game showed that the Tide’s passing game is fine tuned as Jalen passed for 374-yards. As well, Jalen’s legs have been on full display as he leads the team in rushing with 273-yards. Now is the perfect opportunity for Nick Sheridan to fine tune the running game for our running backs. Jam Miller and Justice Haynes have combined for 59 carries this season, only 5 more than Jalen Milroe. Jam and Justice each average 8 yards per carry and have each had runs over 50-yards. In a game that the Tide should be in control, expect to see more traditional running plays than in prior weeks.

Will our defense maintain the intensity?: It is difficult to replicate the energy of a great matchup such as Alabama and Georgia. The defense was on a different level Saturday night as they forced 4 turnovers and allowed only 3.1 yards per carry. Vanderbilt’s Offensive-line is much improved, and they rely heavily on the run game. Captains Deontae Lawson and Malachi Moore play with high intensity, so they should set good examples for everyone behind them. Let’s see how the defense responds after such an emotional game against Georgia.

As always, reach out with any questions or comments. If you know anyone interested in joining the newsletter, send their email to me. Roll Tide! -Jake