The SEC fined Vanderbilt $100,000 after its fan base stormed the field following the Commodores' 40-35 upset win over Alabama football onSaturday. And given the league's mandate for field-storming preparedness, and the school's lack thereof, the fine should've been doubled or tripled.
The SEC's field-storming policy prioritizes a responsibility on the part of the host school to get the visiting players and staff off the field without crossing paths with spectators. It requires use of law enforcement and security equipment such as ropes to "secure a clear path off the playing surface" for the visitors. That didn't happen Saturday night, as some celebrating fans streamed directly into the path of Alabama 's exit from the field, which was not roped off.
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Because Alabama fans far outnumbered the home fans, the size of the storming was tens of thousands fewer than what normally happens when Alabama loses a road game. That, along with the fact that most Commodores fans entered from behind the Alabama bench rather than the opposite side of the field, where UA players exited, made the Vanderbilt field-storming much more manageable. But the fact that it was more manageable makes it all the less excusable that it barely appeared to be managed at all. I've watched half a dozen clips of the storming, from the TV broadcast to other media angles to a minute of video I took myself from the press box.
I saw some security. I saw zero urgency.
If the school anticipated the possibility of an upset win by the Commodores and the field rush that would inevitably follow, little to nothing about Alabama's walk to the tunnel would prove it.
The underlying intent in the SEC's policy, though not overtly stated in its formal language, is to prevent the wrong fan from harassing the wrong visiting player in the wrong way. Whether it be a rush of 5,000 fans or 50,000, it's only a matter of time before a field storming creates that scenario. When it does, it will overshadow the game and make national news for all the wrong reasons: assault, injuries, liability, lawsuits or worse.
It didn't happen at the Vandy storming, but SEC fingers are crossed for the next.
Alabama LB Deontae Lawson vs. South Carolina RB Raheim Sanders : Stopping the South Carolina running game goes a long way toward stopping its entire offense, but Alabama has struggled to stop the run. It falls on the entire defense to limit Sanders, but Lawson will play a key role. As the call-maker on the UA defensive front who is in communication with DC Kane Wommack before the snap, Lawson has to get defenders aligned quickly, and according to Malachi Moore , players want the calls to come in quicker. Sanders is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has big-play explosiveness that could be problematic.
UA running backs coach Robert Gillespie on NFL players he prefers to show video of in the offseason to Alabama's backs: "I try to show guys they can resonate with. We've had a long history of running backs to play here, and that builds a connection. Those guys were once in the meeting room, doing the same drill. So, Brian Robinson , when I want to show the bigger guys, how they should run. Jahmyr (Gibbs) when I'm looking at patience. Alvin Kamara , who didn't play here, but he started here, and I coached him. ... Just guys they can feel a connection with."
On all the talk about Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer's choice for game-day apparel − he's been criticized on social media and elsewhere for wearing a T-shirt last Saturday − I'll just say this: Would we have heard a peep about that had Alabama won? ... Former Alabama head coach Mike Shula will return to Tuscaloosa as a member of the South Carolina offensive staff. After coaching from 2003-2006 at UA, Shula went on to a career as an NFL assistant before accepting a job on USC coach Shane Beamer's staff beginning this season. ... It's unclear whether injured Alabama WRs Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice will be available to play against South Carolina, but don't be surprised to see more of freshman Caleb Odom , who played five snaps at receiver against Vanderbilt, against the Gamecocks . ... Former Alabama DB Chris Rogers is now an NFL Players Association-certified agent.
College coaches don't often come up with the perfect answer to a tough question, but South Carolina's Beamer hit a home run earlier this week when asked about Ole Miss ' reputation for faking injuries on defense to stop the clock. The reporter who asked noted there were 11 stoppages of play in USC's 27-3 loss to the Rebels, four of them for the same player. "I hope they're OK. It's remarkable to me, and listen, I've got my own problems, we just got our butts kicked 27-3, but it's fascinating to me how many injuries occur for them after the opposing offense makes a first down or has a big play," Beamer said in part . "You go back and watch the ( Ole Miss vs) Wake Forest game, and it happens a lot to the same guy." Lane Kiffin retort coming in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... The Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma is often an offensive shootout, as the game used to be called, but this year, points could be down. Oklahoma's defense is very solid, and will be coming after Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers in his return to the lineup from injury. Meanwhile, the OU offense hasn't exactly clicked. … The Goodspread SEC Pick of the Week came off the mat last week with Ole Miss laying 9 to South Carolina. This week, take Tennessee -15 against Florida . Season ATS: 2-3-1 (.417). All-time ATS: 23-7-2 (.750).
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Vandy field-storming response fell short after Alabama football upset
