Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer cannot be pleased with how the Crimson Tide played in the 21-6 win over Vanderbilt. DeBoer is always cautious in mid-game and post-game comments. When Alabama does poorly, he is mostly stoic. But on Saturday, frustration appeared to be roiling just beneath the surface.
Alabama Crimson Tide fans are unhappy with the Tide's offensive production, and many are most unhappy with Ryan Grubb. The dissatisfaction with Grubb is not new. Neither are Alabama's too-frequent offensive inadequacies. Daniel Hill was a bright spot for Alabama against Vanderbilt. He averaged 6.4 yards on 14 carries. Tide running backs Traeshawn Brown and EJ Crowell combined for six carries. They gained a total of eight yards.
Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, a rusty and gimpy Keelon Russell completed 22 of 33 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. The Crimson Tide offense clicked for a little over 20 minutes in the game. But it could not finish the Dores off in the fourth quarter.
Kane Wommack's defense gave Alabama a lifeline with an overall outstanding performance. The Commodores helped Alabama with a minus-63 yards from 11 penalties. Alabama's stubborn defense held Vandy to two of 13 on third-down conversions, 12 net rushing yards, three fourth-down stops, and five sacks.
The Crimson Tide defense played so well that the Alabama offense could afford to play conservatively. Still, 21 points was a weak showing against a Vanderbilt defense that ranked No. 16 in SEC action, allowing 33.2 points per game. Against SEC teams, Vandy was No. 12 in Pass Defense and No. 15 in Rushing Defense, allowing an average of 4.59 yards per carry.
Most troubling is that Alabama went to Nashville ranked No. 3 in the CFB Playoff rankings ... and the offense performed like a team that might not be able to win a Playoff game.
Ten games into the season, an Alabama team that can at times play like a championship contender, should not have such offensive inconsistency.
Note: Game stats provided by Stat Broadcast and SEC season stats provided by cfbstats.com
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