Alabama football's defense was suffocating, and the Crimson Tide did enough on offense during three consecutive drives beginning late in the first half and into the third quarter of an otherwise sloppy 21-6 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.
Alabama (8-2, 6-2) didn't allow a touchdown for the first time this season, holding Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-6) to 235 total yards and 10 first downs. The Commodores were 2-for-15 on third down and 1-for-4 on fourth down. Vanderbilt was its own worst enemy, committing 14 penalties for 92 yards.
On offense, Alabama struggled much of the day with the exception of its three touchdown drives. The Tide began the game with three punts, a turnover on downs and an interception from Keelon
Russell, who played the entire game despite uncertainly over his ankle.
The Crimson Tide came to life with around 3:30 to play in the first half, and Marshall Pritchett caught a 9-yard touchdown pass with only six seconds remaining until halftime for Alabama's first points of the day. It capped a 75-yard drive that took 4:07 off the clock.
Alabama made it two touchdown drives in a span of 2:49 on the game clock when Lotzeir Brooks made a 39-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the Crimson Tide opened the second half with another 75-yard scoring drive.
Alabama scored its final touchdown when Brooks made a great catch coming back to the ball in traffic with 7:13 to play in the third after an 89-yard kick return from Dijon Lee Jr. It was Brooks' first two-touchdown game since last year's 34-24 win over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.
Russell finished 22 of 33 for 217 yards with third touchdowns to one interception. Daniel Hill added 89 yards on 14 carries, and Ryan Coleman-Williams led the receivers with seven catches for 68 yards. Brooks had five catches for 62 yards.
Alabama had a chance to make it a three-score game but managed just one first down during its final four drives. The Crimson Tide committed three turnovers, as well, but still overcame a slow start to get a crucial win for their College Football Playoff hopes.
Next up for Kalen DeBoer's team are the Chattanooga Mocs (7-4) from the FCS ranks on Nov. 21 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The annual Iron Bowl showdown with Auburn is a week later on Nov. 28 in Tuscaloosa.
In the meantime, here's where Alabama ranks in the new US LBM Coaches Poll after its win over Vanderbilt.
Did Alabama football rise or fall in new Coaches Poll after beating Vanderbilt?
Alabama is No. 7 in the Week 12 US LBM Coaches Poll, the same spot as last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the Miami Hurricanes (9-1) and one spot ahead of the Texas Longhorns (8-2).
Alabama is still the second-highest ranked SEC team in the Coaches Poll behind No. 1 Georgia (9-1), who clobbered the Missouri Tigers in a 48-21 thrashing at Sanford Stadium.
Among top-25 teams that were ranked in the Week 11 poll, the Oregon Ducks (7-3) saw the biggest rise. Dan Lanning's team climbed five spots to No. 14 following its dominant 31-7 win over the Michigan Wolverines.
The Louisville Cardinals (7-3) had the biggest overall jump, rising 10 spots to climb back into the top 25 at No. 22 after their chippy 16-14 win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Kentucky, Southern California and Houston suffered the biggest drops of any ranked teams from a week ago, each falling five spots in Sunday's poll.
Bad week for SEC teams in college football Week 11 leads to changes in Coaches Poll
The Coaches Poll saw little in the way of a shakeup at the top of the rankings as the top nine teams remain the same in the rankings from a week earlier. However, several two- and three-loss teams fell Saturday, ending their respective College Football Playoff hopes with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Kentucky (7-3) fell in a 21-14 loss at home to the Florida Gators, and LSU (6-4), Missouri (6-4) and South Carolina (6-4) were all dispatched in Week 11, as well.
Outside the SEC, an ACC team entering the top 10 for the first time this season.
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 12.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 23 SMU; No. 24 South Carolina; No. 25 New Mexico;
Others Receiving Votes
Liberty 87; Memphis 70; New Mexico 48; Missouri 47; SMU 39; UTSA 38; South Carolina 35; Northwestern 17; Air Force 14; Nebraska 12; Louisiana Tech 12; North Texas 11; Oklahoma 8; Illinois 8; Auburn 7; Minnesota 6; Oklahoma State 5; Toledo 2; Virginia 1; North Dakota State 1;
Alabama football schedule 2026
Alabama hosts Chattanooga at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 12 of the 2026 college football season. Kickoff for Alabama-Chattanooga is 1 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (L, 20-17)
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers (L, 26-10)
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies (W, 31-20)
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers (W, 31-13)
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores (W, 21-6)
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 8-2 overall, 6-2 SEC.
Contact us at @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Did Alabama rise or fall in US LBM Coaches Poll after Vanderbilt win?
