Vanderbilt knew the perfect way to celebrate after Saturday’s stunning upset of Alabama.
The Commodores outlasted the Crimson Tide 40-35 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
The stadium’s jumbotron guy was more than ready for Vanderbilt to pull off the victory. After Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia’s final kneel-down to end the game, the FirstBank Stadium monitor played a clip of Nick Saban downplaying Vanderbilt’s fan base a few weeks prior.
“The only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play is Vanderbilt,” Saban told Pat McAfee in the clip. “You have more fans there than they have. And that’s no disrespect to them — it’s the truth.”
NO WAY#Vandy played this quote from Nick Saban after the upset over Alabama:
“The only place that’s not hard to play in the SEC is Vanderbilt.” pic.twitter.com/QDfGufSQol
— Billy Derrick (@billyderrick10) October 5, 2024
Nick Saban two weeks ago:
“The only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play is Vanderbilt”
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/N1SLMOf5Er
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 5, 2024
Contrary to what Saban said, the home crowd was plenty loud all throughout Saturday’s contest. Vanderbilt struck first with a touchdown on their opening drive followed by a pick-six to quickly jump out to a 13-0 lead.
🚨 PICK SIX ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qmS9A14AJb
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 5, 2024
Alabama managed to trim the lead to as little as two points late in the third quarter. But a costly fumble by Jalen Milroe early in the fourth ended Alabama’s comeback hopes.
Vanderbilt entered the contest against No. 1 Alabama with a 0-60 all-time record against opponents ranked in the top 5. The victory was also the first time the Commodores had beaten the Crimson Tide in four decades.
