Alabama Crimson Tide were on the short end of the biggest story in week 6. The Vanderbilt Commodores shocked the world and took down the best team in the nation in an epic 40-35 win. The embarrassing misstep took the Crimson Tide from first place on the AP Poll to the seventh spot. Jalen Milroe’s teammates were visibly frustrated and made blunt confessions on the loss.
The Crimson Tide unbeaten NCAA season came crashing down during their visit to the Commodores. Alabama entered the match as heavy favorites and were in for a huge surprise as Vanderbilt jumped off to an early commanding lead. Despite the Tide’s rally, the score wouldn’t change hands and Alabama took a disappointing loss that may have lasting effects on their year.
Alabama hadn’t fell to Vanderbilt since 1984. No player on Kalen DeBoer’s roster expected that streak to end soon. However, college football lives off these upsets and Alabama ended up on the bad end of the deal this time around. Jalen Milroe’s Heisman odds, and the team’s playoffs contendency took a bad turn due to this loss. Many players in Alabama voiced their frustration as their end goal is now at stake.
“I’m hurt. We put a lot in this every day, day in and day out,” Deontae Lawson commented. “To come up short is always disappointing. Just have to learn from it, get better and keep going.”
Jalen Milroe #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“Everybody’s pissed,” Alabama’s Que Robinson said. “That just shows great competitiveness. Obviously, nobody wants to lose. Even though Vandy’s a great team, but we’ve just got to put it behind us in the next 24 hours and move onto the next team.”
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Milroe’s postgame comments
Jalen Milroe was straight-forward with his postgame analysys of the Tide’s loss to the Commodores. The quarterback entered the game as a top Heisman Trophy candidate, but this loss may cast doubt on his candidacy.
Milroe finished the game with 310 passing yards, one touchdown through the air, as well as one on the ground. In contrast, his lowlight of the day was a pick-six thrown. Afterwards, Alabama’s signal caller addressed the unexpected loss.
“Losing feels bad,” Milroe said, via Al.com. “It’s all about how you can reflect and how can you refine and get better. That’s going to be critical for us to have the 24-hour rule. Regroup, refocus. Challenge each other to get better.”
Learn and move on
Alabama took a huge blow to their aspirations as they fell to an inferior SEC opponent. However, there is no use crying over spilled milk- the Crimson Tide must put this loss behind them.
Their shot at redemption comes on October 12th when the South Carolina Gamecocks come to town. Tuscaloosa will be rocking as the Tide look to bounce back and keep their season alive. Normally, this game would be a sure win for Alabama, but after their loss to Vanderbilt, nothing can be taken for granted.
