Success has a way of making people overlook what's right in front of them, because it's easy to lose sight of what's still ahead when everything seems to be going your way. College football has provided plenty of reminders of that this season, and with No. 3-ranked Alabama trending at the right time, the Crimson Tide can't afford to become the next example.
At 7-2 and fresh off a statement win over LSU in Death Valley, Kalen DeBoer and the Tide now turn their attention to Vanderbilt and a trip to Nashville. The pressure comes with maintaining that momentum while avoiding a repeat of the 2024 collapse, when then-No.1 Alabama followed its signature win over Georgia by laying an egg on the Commodores' doorstep and derailing its own season.
This time around, Vanderbilt doesn't have the swagger or playmaking of pesky quarterback Diego Pavia to help bridge the gap as nearly three-score underdogs. But that doesn't mean the head coach Clark Lea and staff are short on talent capable of making this a difficult afternoon for Alabama. Vanderbilt still has several players on both sides of the football who can create problems if the Tide gets caught slipping or fails to execute — a reality DeBoer made clear this week while pushing back against outside noise overlooking its 4-5 record.
"I can tell by the questions as I go through interviews throughout the course of the week that everyone outside of the building hasn't watched Vanderbilt — they haven't watched them," DeBoer said Wednesday evening during his weekly edition of Hey Coach... "Our guys understand what it looks like. They're preparing for it, and having a good week of practice right now."
Of course, Alabama has the talent advantage on paper, but the Tide knows internally that it can't afford to let that become a reason to overlook the playmakers standing in their way. With that being said, here are three players that fans should know who could make DeBoer and company work for it.
3 key matchups Alabama can't afford to overlook vs Vanderbilt
1. Junior Sherrill — WR:
Entering Saturday's matchup with 56 receptions for 747 yards and four touchdowns (averaging 13.3 yards per grab), Junior Sherrill is the focal point of Vanderbilt's passing attack. The speedy senior receiver has consistently found ways to beat Alabama's secondary over the last two seasons, hauling in a 34-yard score during Vanderbilt's 2024 upset, following it up with six catches for 49 yards in last season's meeting.
With Alabama looking to continue to shield off explosive plays on the back end to keep true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis and the Vandy offense off schedule, Kane Wommack's secondary must account for Sherrill's versatility in the slot and limit his yards after the catch before he can spark momentum for FirstBank Stadium's home crowd.
2. Sedrick Alexander — RB:
While Vanderbilt no longer leans on the dynamic dual-threat scrambling ability of its quarterback as it did with Pavia, senior running back Sedrick Alexander has given the Commodores a physical, reliable weapon on the ground with 85 carries for 333 yards and six touchdowns this season.
Alabama saw firsthand how dangerous Alexander can be in open space last season when he torched the Tide defense for 76 yards and a touchdown on just four carries — an eye-popping 19.0 yards per attempt. Even when his overall volume is modest, Alexander's big burst and nose for the red zone mean Alabama's front seven cannot afford missed tackles or lose gap discipline if they want to keep Vandy's offense one-dimensional.
3. C.J Heard — Safety:
On the defensive side of the ball, junior safety C.J. Heard serves as the versatile anchor of Vanderbilt's unit, leading the Commodores with 65 total tackles alongside three sacks, four tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and an interception. Heard is no stranger to slowing down Alabama's offense, having racked up eight total tackles in last year's contest while flying around in the box and in coverage.
With starting quarterback Keelon Russell's status listed as "day-to-day" as he nurses an ankle injury, neutralizing Heard's ability to blitz off the edge, disrupt run fits, and bait passers in the intermediate passing game becomes even more critical. Alabama's offensive line and quarterback must identify his pre-snap alignment on every play to avoid the kind of drive-killing turnovers or negative plays that kept Vanderbilt competitive in recent years.
If Alabama stands on business and limits the impacts of Sherrill, Alexander, Heard, and the rest of Vanderbilt's squad, the Tide has more than enough firepower on both sides of the ball to walk out of Week 10 with a win and avoid another 2024-style slip-up. With the College Football Playoff in reach, it'll be interesting to see if DeBoer's group can continue to stay locked in.
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