Vanderbilt Commodores at Alabama Crimson Tide

Simpson, Miller lead No. 10 Alabama to 30-14 victory over No. 16 Vanderbilt

Simpson overcame an early interception to complete 23-of-30 passes, finding Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams for touchdowns. Jam Miller ran for 136 yards and a touchdown for the Crimson Tide (4-1, 2-0 SEC).

“I thought we played hard-nosed,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “The momentum we’re continuing to gain, there’s a confidence between offense and defense that the other side will come through when it matters most.”

Diego Pavia threw for 183 yards and ran for 58 for Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1), but threw an interception and lost a fumble. Sedrick Alexander had a 65-yard touchdown run.

Alabama converted all four of its trips into the red zone in points, while Pavia's two turnovers left Vanderbilt without points in two critical situations. Vanderbilt's running game that totaled 126 yards on 12.7 yards per carry in the first half was limited to just nine rushing yards in the second half.

“We knew coming in this would be a game won on third down and the red zone,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “Those are two areas we weren’t very good at, particularly on offense. Offensively we never seemed to get rhythm, particularly in the second half. And that allowed them to take time of possession.”

The Takeaway Alabama’s win certainly wasn’t perfect but the Tide should be pleased with consecutive wins over top-20 opponents. Simpson remains among the top of the SEC in terms of quarterback play with another game above a 75% completion rate, his third in four games. Defensively, two turnovers forced in the red zone were game-altering plays.

“Understanding what happened Week 1, there’s two things you can do,” DeBoer said. “You can take it or you can fight back. If we are who we are and believe we have a good football team then there’s one option; and that’s to give it everything we’ve got. And that’s what these guys are doing.”

Vanderbilt’s run game showed it can be productive, but the Commodores need to find answers throwing the ball downfield to be a serious SEC contender.

Poll implications Alabama’s win, coupled with losses by No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Florida, should propel the Tide to a higher ranking in the next AP poll. Vanderbilt could slip some, but likely not out of the Top 25 with a competitive loss on the road.

Up next Vanderbilt gets a week off before hosting No. 13 LSU on Oct. 18.

Alabama travels to No. 19 Missouri next Saturday.