Alabama football was nowhere near perfect against Vanderbilt , and the Crimson Tide didn't need to be.
In a game where revenge was at the center of Alabama 's goals and aspirations, the Crimson Tide prevailed, beating the Commodores 30-14 at Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday, Oct. 4, responding to the first of three SEC road losses Alabama suffered in 2024.
This was not any normal Alabama-Vanderbilt game. This top-25 SEC game was a grudge match, one that gave the Crimson Tide its second conference win of 2025, with all eyes on Missouri in Week 7.
Here's how Alabama graded out in its win against Vanderbilt:
Alabama's offense made its first detrimental mistake of the season: a Ty Simpson interception into double-coverage on a 4th-and-1 play-action pass. But the Crimson Tide consistently moved the ball downfield, even on drives that ended in field goals instead of touchdowns. Alabama dominated time of possession. When Alabama needed to, it basically became Vanderbilt, and the strategy worked. Alabama wasn't perfect. It didn't need to be.
Vanderbilt bent Alabama's defense once again with a freight train of a run game. But that train slowed. A 113-yard first quarter turned into 13 in the second, and seven in the third and 13 in the fourth. The Crimson Tide got more and more comfortable as the game went on. And two turnovers squashing Commodores drives by Justin Jefferson and Tim Keenan III , and Keon Sabb , allowed Alabama to play the defense it wanted to against Vanderbilt.
Alabama first decided not to rely on Conor Talty. Instead of a 46-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, Ty Simpson and the offense tried to push the ball downfield on a 4th-and-1, leading to the team's first turnover of the season. Talty then missed his only field goal of the first half, a 47-yard try, wide right. But Talty adjusted, hitting two third-quarter field goal tries inside 40 yards, and another in the fourth. Alabama would not have beaten Vanderbilt without Talty.
Alabama adjusted when it needed to against Vanderbilt. Kane Wommack and the Crimson Tide defense completely flipped the script after the Commodores put on an absolute master class in the first 15 minutes. That is coaching — and Alabama needed coaching to beat Vanderbilt.
Alabama's latest SEC win was not pretty. But the Crimson Tide came out on the better side of a grudge match.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football grades after Vanderbilt grudge match win
