Top 20 Vanderbilt Aims to Make it Two in a Row Against Alabama

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00:00But now as we talk about it today, this used to be the bye week for SEC teams.

00:04This was a team in Vanderbilt that would show up in your building like,

00:07why are they in the SEC in football?

00:08Well, they keep the GPA up for the rest of the league.

00:11That's why we love them here.

00:12No longer the case, Joe.

00:13Top 20 Vanderbilt.

00:15Last time I checked, Joe, who won last year's game?

00:18It was Vanderbilt.

00:19Vandy looking to go on a 2-0 run against Alabama?

00:22It's possible.

00:23We saw 12 and a halves on Sunday night.

00:25They bet it down to 10 and a half during the week.

00:27We're seeing 11 and a halves across the market right now.

00:30Vandy did snap a 23-game losing streak to Alabama.

00:34They were catching 22-23 in that game.

00:38They won a 40-35 dynamic performance.

00:41They forced turnovers against Jalen Milrow.

00:44When you just look at Vandy, they are a balanced offense running and throwing the football,

00:48averaging 49 points per game, play very good in run support,

00:52holding opposing offenses to 79 rushing yards per game, Donnie,

00:56and only giving up 17 points per game.

01:00But they have to go into Brian Denny, where dating back to 2020 with Saban, Alabama straight up 40-1 at home.

01:10They were 7-0 last year, dominated those games by 20-plus points per game.

01:15This year they won both games at home, obviously.

01:18UL Monroe and Wisconsin, they dominated and covered.

01:21It's going to be a tall order.

01:23I like the over here, 56-and-a-half, but if I had to pick a side, I would take the points with Vandy.

01:28We always talk Alabama, Joe.

01:29Each and every year Alabama is usually in the national landscape, particularly under Nick Saban.

01:33We'll see if the board can get this team back.

01:34But they've sort of righted the ship, but let's hold off on them for now

01:36and talk about the ships to the Commodores.

01:39Joe, they beat Virginia Tech, which, again, expectations may be a little bit higher than what we're getting now.

01:43Sure.

01:4444-20.

01:44That means they're moving the football on offense.

01:46Say what he went about South Carolina injured in that game.

01:48Who cares?

01:4931-7.

01:50That's 31 points against an SEC team.

01:52Georgia State, not a great team.

01:5470 on that football team.

01:56And then, you know, Utah State, not a great football team.

01:5955 points, Joe.

02:00What, like, how did we turn into, and I don't even go back to your, hey, Vanderbilt in 1992

02:05was a terrible football team.

02:06They look like an offensive juggernaut.

02:08Is it all Pavia?

02:09Or what do the people out there who haven't watched, let's just say Vandy, watch today and be like,

02:13yeah, these players are good?

02:14I think it's the offensive line as well.

02:16When you protect Diego Pavia and you give him time, he can abuse you.

02:20Not just with his arm, but with his legs.

02:23Stowers and Richardson, the big play wide receivers, can step up and take the top off the defense.

02:28They've utilized a lot of different looks, motion, to catch opposing defenses off and create mismatches.

02:34But their defense, Donnie, we talk about, you know, game changing and the ability to build a program.

02:40Clark Lee has done it from the inside out.

02:43When you look at the offensive-defensive line play for Vanderbilt, they went toe-to-toe.

02:48Virginia Tech is playing very well right now, two and three overall.

02:51They got back-to-back wins against Wofford and last week against NC State.

02:55That was a dominating win in the second half.

02:57To go into Blacksburg and win by 24, forget that Lenora Sellers was hurt against USC, South Carolina.

03:04To go into Williams-Brice and dominate them in the second half and force turnoff, that is a great effort.

03:10The matchup, again, is when you look at Alabama, we think, oh, yeah, they could score on anybody, and they can with Ty Simpson.

03:17But that defense right now in run support is giving up 160 rushing yards per game.

03:23Georgia pounded the rock for 227, 6.7 yards per carry in the loss last week.

03:29If Vanderbilt can run the football, they're going to be in this game.

03:32Let's take a look also at Alabama and flip it over because, you know, getting to the quarterback, which we'll find out about in a moment,

03:37he's much improved this season, even if you just take a look at game number one for Ty Simpson.

03:41But game number one, it's still in the schedule, Joe.

03:43They lost to FSU.

03:44They weren't the better football team.

03:45It looked like, oh, no, Alabama's going to win three games this year.

03:48They've righted the ship.

03:49Forget about ULM at this point.

03:50Wisconsin, 38-14.

03:52Not a great team, but handled your business.

03:53But then you go in to Georgia, Joe, and you take care of business 24-21.

03:58But here's my question.

03:59Not which Alabama team we're getting today is.

04:01We understand they're college kids.

04:03That was an unbelievable emotional victory last week.

04:06Now you get Vanderbilt.

04:08You used to be like, oh, well, Vanderbilt, you roll your helmet out and beat them.

04:10That's not the case.

04:11Are there any effects, like we talk about in the NFL, like, oh, once you play Detroit,

04:14they're so physical here, they take something out of you for the next week.

04:17Any of that this week for you for Alabama?

04:19Well, I think that Vandy's going into this game playing with house money.

04:22Nobody believes that they can knock off Alabama two years in a row.

04:25But if you're Kalen DeBoer and you're Ty Simpson, you're like, hey, we righted the ship offensively

04:30because he put up 276 against Georgia, one of the better defenses in the SEC.

04:35He threw for two touchdowns.

04:37They protected him.

04:38This offensive line for Alabama has only allowed five sacks on the year.

04:42If he has time, he's going to pick apart that secondary.

04:44That's going to be the matchup.

04:45Can Vanderbilt generate a pass rush?

04:48Can they get Ty Simpson into long, predictable third downs?

04:51If they can, they have a shot.

04:53But, again, the pressure in this game isn't on Vanderbilt because they're 5-0.

04:58If they drop this game, they potentially could still be an at-large team if they went out the rest of the way.

05:04But they're going in there with the sense and the mindset.

05:07We could go toe-to-toe with anybody.

05:09So, if they jump up early, that's where I think the negativity potentially could creep in for Kalen DeBoer.

05:15They jumped out early against Georgia.

05:17They fall behind today, Donnie.

05:19That could be a recipe to losing outright.

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