In a stunning turn of events, the Vanderbilt Commodores pulled off a historic upset, defeating the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 40-35 on Saturday. The Commodores’ fans erupted in joy, storming the field and tearing down a goalpost, which they then carried two miles and tossed into the Cumberland River.
Sedrick Alexander’s two touchdowns, Randon Fontenette’s pick-six, and Diego Pavia’s impressive performance against Heisman contender Jalen Milroe led Vanderbilt to its first-ever win over a number one ranked team. This monumental victory marked the end of Vanderbilt’s 0-60 drought against AP top-five teams, a streak that dated back to 1936.
Coach Clark Lea, an alumnus of Vanderbilt, hailed the win as the biggest in the school’s history. “This is what Vanderbilt football needs to be about: big wins on big stages,” Lea exclaimed. “We’re going to go get some more.”
The Crimson Tide, who had just risen to the top of the AP Top 25, were favored to win by 22.5 points. However, Vanderbilt’s dominant performance, coupled with Alabama’s mistakes and penalties, sealed the deal for the Commodores.
Pavia’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Kamrean Johnson with 5:07 left put Vanderbilt ahead 40-28, and the team never looked back. When the final whistle blew, Vanderbilt fans and players rejoiced, knowing they had achieved something truly special.
As the Commodores celebrated, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer vowed to find out how much his team cared about each other and how they would respond to this setback. “We’ve been tested in different ways, really, a lot of the games here this season, and this is a different type of test now in our response,” DeBoer said.
This upset will go down in history as one of the biggest in SEC play, and Vanderbilt’s fans will surely remember it for years to come.
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