Alabama football dominated Vanderbilt in every way imaginable

Alabama football rolled into Nashville and dominated Vanderbilt in every documented stat and set Tide records in the process.

The Alabama football game against Vanderbilt was over at 6:16 left to go in the first quarter. At that moment Bo Scarbrough ran a touchdown in from six yards out. The extra point was not even needed. Alabama football went on to methodically add another 53 points, before running the clock out inside the Vandy five-yard line to end the game.

Vanderbilt never entered Tide territory with the football. The Crimson Tide dominated the stat sheet and set new Alabama football records that will take a day or two to fully calculate.

Crimson Tide faithful even won the attendance prize, putting more crimson around Dudley Field than Vandy’s black and gold.

Alabama football made 38 first downs. The Commodores scratched and clawed for three, one by penalty. The Crimson Tide outgained the Dores, 677 yards to 78 yards. Alabama football would have rushed for over 500 yards were it not for the late-game kneel-downs by Tua Tagovailoa.

Alabama football did not play flawless football. There were three fumbles, though none ended up being turnovers. The Tide gave up one nine-yard sack. There were six penalties for 35 yards. Calvin Ridley and Bo Scarbrough dropped passes. And that is pretty much it for Crimson Tide blackmarks.

Alabama football ran 93 plays, and with only a handful of exceptions, did not rely on uptempo. Vanderbilt ran 38 plays. The time-of-possession was 42:55 for the Tide and 17:05 for Vanderbilt. As we said at the top, the game was over after less than ten minutes of first quarter play.

Among many superlatives, these stood out

• Damien Harris rushed for 151 yards with a per -carry average of 12.6 yards
• Bo Scarbrough and Najee Harris rushed for a combined 149 yards and 7.1 yards-per-carry average.
• Tua Tagovailoa was superb completing  8-10 passes for two touchdowns.

Also of note is the Alabama football offense dominated without needing a dominant performance by Jalen Hurts. Jalen played well, running for 57 yards and passing for 78 more. His poise stood out, as did his command of the offense.

There will be games when downhill football may not be enough. Over the next two weeks, we will learn more about the Vandy defense. It could be the early season stats portrayed them as much stronger than is real. Against Alabama, Vandy did not look anywhere near a top defense in FBS.

For many Alabama football fans, a return to some smashmouth football was exciting and portends a bright future for the 2017 Alabama offense. We sense the Alabama football offense has more growth and more upside left in its tank for whenever it is needed.

Next: 30 Great Tide Players who were 3-Star Recruits

ICYMI earlier in the week, The Bama Hammer story about Damien Harris is a good read and particularly timely with his explosive performance against Vanderbilt. Check back with us soon as we update the records set by Alabama football on Saturday.