The Alabama football team played in one of the best college football games in recent memory on Saturday as the Crimson Tide downed Georgia in a thriller. The Bulldogs came in as the favorite, but Alabama walked away with a 41-34 victory. Alabama now has to put that emotional win behind them and focus on their next matchup: a date with Vanderbilt.
Alabama shouldn’t have much trouble with this Vanderbilt team, but you never know when it comes to college football. The Crimson Tide are coming off of a win in their biggest game of the regular season, and we sometimes see teams sleepwalk a little bit after a win like that. This matchup on the road against the Commodores could be closer than people are expecting.
One thing about this Vanderbilt team that makes them tough to stop is their quarterback, Diego Pavia. Pavia transferred over from New Mexico State in the offseason, and he has played very well so far through four games. He is currently 54-85 through the air for 721 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has also carried the football 71 times for 279 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack used two words when describing Pavia.
“A baller,” Wommack said, according to a post from Nick Kelly.
Diego Pavia takes care of the football and he can make plays with both his arms and his legs. Quarterbacks that can do those things are typically successful, and so far this season, Pavia has found success.
Vanderbilt has been on-and-off this year
Vanderbilt is coming into this matchup against the top-ranked Alabama football team with a 2-2 record. The Commodores started the season with a good win against Virginia Tech, but a close loss to Georgia State is an ugly blemish on their resume. Their other loss was almost a huge upset win as they lost in double overtime against then #7 Missouri. It’s kind of difficult to pinpoint how good this team is because of these mixed results, but Kane Wommack knows it will be a challenge to go up against Vanderbilt no matter what.
