Karen DeBoer won’t live much longer. He lost to Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt hero Diego Pavia takes control of Alabama. Nick Saban feeds Vanderbilt message board, Alabama feasts on rat poison.
Karen DeBoer will never be this depressed.
He lost to Vanderbilt.
Let’s understand that.
Vanderbilt.
The school, which the SEC allows to stay in order to increase the legitimacy of academics and women’s bowling, just defeated Alabama 40-35 at home.
Crimson Tide fans invaded Vanderbilt’s stadium and watched in horror as second-ranked Alabama suffered the most shocking loss in program history.
Alabama lost to Vanderbilt for the first time in 40 years. DeBoer acquired a resume line that Nick Saban, Mike Shula, Dennis Francione, Mike DuBose, Gene Stallings and Bill Curry eschewed. He lost to the brains of the SEC.
Saban managed to survive a comparable humiliation. He lost to Louisiana-Monroe in his first season at Alabama. Saban won six national championships at Alabama, yet any college football fan will recite that the GOAT lost to ULM in his first season in Tuscaloosa.
However, their circumstances were different. Saban didn’t inherit a roster immediately after a Rose Bowl appearance. His Crimson Tide team lost to Louisiana Monroe and was unranked.
DeBoer’s team had ambitions of winning a national championship. Those goals remain plausible, but diminished after this performance.
Highs and Lows: Alabama’s upset makes the difference in Week 6
Karen DeBoer’s anchor dropped in loss to Vanderbilt.
Such losses cling to the coach like an anchor.
Saban bounced back, but many people never recover from such humiliation.
And, make no mistake, this result should be humiliating for DeBoer.
Yes, Vanderbilt improved significantly in Clark Lee’s fourth season. And yes, Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia rules the Yellowhammer State.
Last season, Pavia was the quarterback for New Mexico State, which beat Auburn. Now he has shattered Alabama’s crown.
Forget Heisman Trophy Jalen Milroe and reset Pavia’s odds.
In a state of euphoria, Pavia was asked to explain her upset. He mentioned God and then dropped an F-bomb during a postgame interview on SEC Network.
That pretty much sums it up.
Lord, how can this (edited) happen?
Georgia sent Alabama’s defense into a black hole in the fourth quarter last week, and oops, that unit disappeared. Vanderbilt had possession of the ball over 70% of the time in this game.
Pavia could have done whatever he wanted against the Tide, but that would give credit to Alabama’s defense. The defense never showed its face in Nashville.
Nick Saban contributes material to Vanderbilt message board before game against Alabama
The rat poison Saban has been warning about for years? As soon as Saban joined the set of “College Game Day,” rat poison was considered fine dining in Alabama. Alabama bit the rat bait during a fiery game against South Florida in Week 2. I devoured all five courses on Saturday.
Saban recently said in his talking head role that Vanderbilt is the only home venue in the SEC that isn’t difficult for road teams.
“There’s more fans there than they have,” Saban said during an interview with ESPN.
Think of it as Vanderbilt bulletin board material.
Saban wasn’t lying about FirstBank Stadium, but while Nashville’s crimson-clad fans became props of college football history, the foghorn blared as the final seconds ticked down and the black And those who showed up dressed in gold tried to understand what was going on. That’s when the bluest bloodline in this country was defeated.
You barge into the field and accept the fine.
The entire SEC (with the exception of Vanderbilt) should be penalized for this result.
Just three weeks ago, Georgia State defeated Vanderbilt. In 2019, Georgia State defeated Tennessee.
Mercy, if the SEC expands again and admits the Panthers, they will waste this conference. I think it’s a joke.
In fact, the gap between college football’s elite and underclass is narrower than it used to be. The transfer era and deep funders making and trading NIL deals have robbed Alabama of its ability to stockpile three deep All-Stars.
Anyway, how did this happen?
Why did an Alabama team that ended Georgia’s regular season winning streak at 42 games a week ago lose to a team that hadn’t won an SEC game since November 2022?
Pavia, one of them. 16 of his 20 passes reached their intended destination. He did just that, instilling in Vanderbilt a fierce spirit and a belief that no opponent is too strong.
Alabama’s minus-2 turnovers also proved costly.
When Vanderbilt’s Miles Capers strip-sacked Milroe midway through the fourth quarter, the scoreline went from bizarrely funny to a five-alarm shot. The Commodores converted this takedown into a touchdown, giving them a two-point lead.
By that time crystallization had begun. This won’t be a sleepwalking victory for Alabama. Rather, it was a worrying loss for DeBoer that no one will soon forget.
Pavia will always be the quarterback that beat Alabama. And DeBoer will forever be the guy who lost to Vanderbilt.
(This story has been updated to change the video.)
Blake Topmeyer is a national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow us on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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