AfriPulse
As Alabama ate more than half of the fourth quarter clock on a plodding drive toward a critical field goal, all Diego Pavia could do was watch with his helmet in his hand, quietly hoping for a miracle. Vanderbilt’s brash quarterback probably felt a bit like Jalen Milroe did when the teams met last season.
The Crimson Tide’s 30-14 win over Vanderbilt at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday mirrored key details from the script of Vanderbilt’s stunning win over the Tide from last season. Most important were two crushing turnovers from the losing quarterback and a punishing level of clock control from the winner.
Pavia put himself under a brighter spotlight than usual for this clash of top-20 SEC foes when he stated, “if we play our game, it won’t be close.” It was a bold claim, and though it was overstated, it wasn’t entirely off base.
Had Pavia played his game, Vanderbilt absolutely could have knocked off a top-10 Alabama team on the road as a double-digit underdog. But his two red-zone turnovers decimated Vanderbilt’s chances of beating the Crimson Tide in consecutive seasons for the first time in nearly 60 years.
Vanderbilt led 7-0 late in the first quarter and was driving deep into Alabama territory when Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson stripped the football from a scrambling Pavia just before he hit the ground. Instead of falling behind 14-0, Alabama took over and marched 92 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, Vanderbilt trailed just 20-14 and was in the midst of its best offensive possession of the second half. Pavia appeared to be in full command and ready to put the Commodores ahead. Then, he lofted an ill-advised pass over the middle that Alabama’s Keon Sabb intercepted.
Once again, the Crimson Tide marched down the field and turned a Pavia mistake into critical points. That was all she wrote for Vanderbilt, and it was a particularly brutal way for the Commodores to go.
Vanderbilt ranked third nationally in red zone touchdown percentage at 86.2% entering Saturday. The Commodores had reached the end zone on 25 of 29 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. But they went just 1 for 3 in that category against Alabama.
Pavia talked the talk, but he didn’t walk the walk against the Crimson Tide.
A year ago, Alabama was ranked No. 1 and was riding high into a game at Vanderbilt. But Milroe committed two critical turnovers to open the door for a monumental Vanderbilt victory. Pavia capitalized on his mistakes, and Vanderbilt controlled the football for more than 42 minutes in that game.
This time around, Alabama dominated the time of possession by more than 15 minutes. With a steadier hand at quarterback in Ty Simpson, the Crimson Tide converted a combined 9 of 18 third and fourth-down conversion attempts and moved the chains 25 times.
One of the best ways to keep Pavia from controlling a game is to keep him off the field. That’s exactly what Alabama did. Vanderbilt possessed the football for just eight minutes and 10 seconds in the second half.
They made Pavia a spectator. Most impressively, they turned him silent.
Source: CBS Sports | Read the Full Story…
