Vanderbilt puts Alabama on upset alert with gutsy play

The Vanderbilt Commodores put the Alabama Crimson Tide under major pressure Saturday thanks in part to some really gutsy decisions.

Vanderbilt jumped out to a 13-0 lead and carried a 23-14 advantage into halftime, which itself was a surprise. Alabama got to within 23-21 during the third quarter, and many figured that the Crimson Tide would simply finish storming back in the second half.

Vanderbilt had other ideas. Facing 4th and 1 from the Alabama 36 with three minutes to go in the third quarter, Vandy went for it. Instead of trying to get that yard on the ground, however, they ran playaction, and quarterback Diego Pavia found wide receiver Junior Sherrill for a 36-yard touchdown despite being pressured by four defenders.

Alabama obviously didn’t see the pass coming and were beaten over the top. That is a very risky play from Vanderbilt’s perspective, but they weren’t going to keep their upset hopes alive by playing it safe.

The Crimson Tide certainly tried very hard to prevent complacency this week after last Saturday’s win over Georgia. Perhaps the message did not take.

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