No. 3 Alabama travels to Nashville to face Vanderbilt on Saturday, Nov. 14, with the Crimson Tide looking to string together consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month. Alabama enters at 7-2 while Vanderbilt sits at 4-5, and this Alabama vs Vanderbilt preview breaks down the form, numbers and matchups that will shape the outcome at FirstBank Stadium.
The Crimson Tide have alternated wins and losses over their last five games, most recently beating LSU 31-13 on Nov. 7. Vanderbilt snapped a four-game skid with a 25-23 win at Mississippi State the same week, its first victory since early October. Both teams arrive off wins, but the gap in scoring and total offense between them is wide.
Alabama Vs Vanderbilt Game Information
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
- Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
- Venue: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- TV: SEC Network
- Weather: 46 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Alabama 37.4, Vanderbilt 23.0
- Total yards per game: Alabama 397.8, Vanderbilt 341.1
- Passing yards per game: Alabama 254.0, Vanderbilt 229.0
- Rushing yards per game: Alabama 143.8, Vanderbilt 112.1
- Yards per pass attempt: Alabama 9.1, Vanderbilt 7.4
- Third-down conversion rate: Alabama 41.51%, Vanderbilt 38.40%
- Turnover differential: Alabama plus-1, Vanderbilt minus-4
- Sacks allowed: Alabama 25, Vanderbilt 18
- Tackles for loss generated: Alabama 40, Vanderbilt 32
The turnover numbers stand out. Alabama has taken the ball away 13 times against 12 giveaways, while Vanderbilt has turned it over 15 times against just 11 takeaways, a minus-4 differential that has compounded its scoring issues.
Alabama Crimson Tide Outlook
Alabama’s offense ranks among the most efficient in the SEC through nine games, averaging 397.8 total yards and 37.4 points. Quarterback Keelon Russell has completed 67.2% of his passes for 2,286 yards, 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions, a mark that gives him one of the better touchdown-to-interception ratios among Tide passers in recent seasons. Trae’shawn Brown leads the rushing attack with 359 yards and five touchdowns on 75 carries, while Rico Scott paces the receiving corps with 31 catches for 501 yards.
The Tide’s two losses this season, 20-17 to Georgia and 26-10 at Tennessee, both came against ranked opponents, and Alabama has won its other two games against unranked teams by a combined 73-point margin. That pattern suggests a defense and offense capable of controlling games against lower-tier competition, which is the profile Vanderbilt fits on paper. No players appear on the injury report, and Russell is projected to start under center with Brown as the lead back.
Vanderbilt Commodores Outlook
Vanderbilt has lost four of its last five games, with three of those defeats coming by double digits against Georgia, Ole Miss and Kentucky. Quarterback Jared Curtis has thrown eight touchdowns against eight interceptions on the year, and the Commodores’ minus-4 turnover differential has been a recurring theme in their losses. Running back Sedrick Alexander has been a bright spot, rushing for 333 yards and six touchdowns on 85 carries.
Vanderbilt’s one win in this stretch, a 25-23 escape at Mississippi State, shows the Commodores can win close, low-scoring games. Junior Sherrill leads the receiving group with 56 catches for 747 yards and four touchdowns, giving Curtis a reliable target even as the offense has struggled to find the end zone consistently, averaging just 23.0 points per game. Curtis is projected to start at quarterback with Alexander as the primary ball carrier.
Key Matchup: Alabama’s Passing Attack Vs Vanderbilt’s Turnover-Prone Defense
Alabama’s passing game, which averages 9.1 yards per attempt compared to Vanderbilt’s 7.4 on the other side of the ball, lines up against a Commodores defense that has allowed opponents to protect the football well enough to limit Vanderbilt to just 11 takeaways in nine games. Russell’s 18 touchdown passes against five interceptions give Alabama a clear efficiency edge through the air.
For Vanderbilt to keep the game competitive, its offense needs to avoid the giveaways that have plagued it throughout SEC play. Curtis’s eight interceptions already match his touchdown total, and against an Alabama defense that has forced 13 takeaways this season, protecting the ball will be essential to keeping pace.
Players To Watch
Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama
Russell has thrown for 2,263 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions, numbers that have powered Alabama’s 37.4 points per game average this season.
Junior Sherrill, WR, Vanderbilt
Sherrill has caught 56 passes for 747 yards and four touchdowns, making him Vanderbilt’s most consistent offensive weapon in a season defined by inconsistency elsewhere.
Trae’shawn Brown, RB, Alabama
Brown has carried the ball 75 times for 359 yards and five touchdowns, giving the Tide a complementary ground game alongside its passing attack.
What To Watch
Alabama is attempting to build on back-to-back wins after alternating results for much of the season, a stretch covered in detail after Kalen DeBoer addressed the Tide’s back-to-back losses earlier this year. The Tide’s position in the national rankings and the College Football Playoff picture remains tied to results like this one against lower-ranked SEC opponents, a topic examined when Alabama’s playoff hopes were put in jeopardy after an earlier losing streak.
Vanderbilt is playing out the back half of a season that has included losses to three ranked teams, and a win over a top-five opponent would be the signature result of its schedule. The SEC’s broader shakeup this season, detailed when Georgia, Alabama and Texas all lost in the same stretch, has left little margin for error for teams chasing playoff positioning, and Alabama falls into that category with two losses already on its record.
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