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Alabama Football Shuts Out Vanderbilt, 34-0
Crimson Tide earns 77th Homecoming victory
TUSCALOOSA,
Ala. - Sophomore quarterback AJ McCarron passed for 237 yards and four
touchdowns while junior running back Trent Richardson ran for 107 yards
on 19 carries and a touchdown as the No. 2 Alabama football team
defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 34-0 on Saturday at Bryant-Denny
Stadium. The Crimson Tide improves to 6-0 overall (3-0 in the SEC)
while Vanderbilt falls to 3-2 and 0-2 versus SEC opponents.
Senior
wide receiver Marquis Maze set a new career-high with nine catches on
the day, totaling 93 yards, while redshirt freshman receiver DeAndrew
White hauled in three receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns. The
Crimson Tide defense held Vanderbilt to 190 total yards, including just
48 in the second half. Moreover, Alabama recorded two interceptions and
did not allow the Commodores to cross midfield after halftime.
"It's
always good to win in the league," UA head coach Nick Saban said. "We
obviously didn't play our best football game, especially in the first
half. We didn't have the mental energy and intensity that we like to
have to play with the kind of consistency that we need to in order to
improve as a team. Vanderbilt has a great team. They are doing a good
job with their team. They play hard and create a lot of problems for
you on offense and do a lot of things to take advantage and play well
with the guys they have. We played a lot better in the second half."
The
Crimson Tide opened up the scoring on its second possession of the
game, taking 10 plays to go 77 yards culminating in a McCarron to Brad
Smelley six-yard touchdown strike to make the score 7-0. Alabama would
get on the scoreboard again late in the second quarter as McCarron
found White in the back of the end zone from five yards out to up the
UA lead to 14-0.
After forcing a Vanderbilt punt to open
the second half, the Crimson Tide marched 94 yards in 12 plays, capping
the drive off with a Richardson touchdown run from one yard out to make
the score 21-0. Following a Commodores punt on the ensuing possession,
Alabama needed nine plays to move 81 yards, as McCarron connected with
White from 39 yards out on a 3rd-and-7 play to make the score 27-0. For
the game, Alabama converted 12-of-17 third downs while allowing
Vanderbilt to just 1-of-10 on third down.
McCarron would
notch his fourth touchdown pass of the game at the outset of the fourth
quarter, finding Darius Hanks from 17 yards to make it 34-0. The score
was the first on the year for Hanks, who finished the game with a
season-high five catches for 60 yards.
McCarron's four
touchdown passes versus the Commodores equaled his season total heading
into the game and are the second most ever in a game by a Crimson Tide
quarterback. Furthermore, White set a new career-high with his two
touchdown receptions while Richardson went over the 100 yard plateau
for the fifth consecutive game.
The shutout marks the 28th
time the Alabama defense has held an opponent to ten points or less
under Saban and is the second time the Tide has shutout an opponent
this year. Alabama is allowing just 5.2 points per game at home this
season.
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