The Library Media — Sports · Sports Desk
No. 3 Alabama Beats Vanderbilt 21-6 Behind Russell’s Three Touchdown Passes
By Sadie Calloway
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 3 Alabama used three touchdown passes from Keelon Russell to defeat Vanderbilt 21-6 on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium, breaking open a game that remained close through halftime.
Alabama entered the game with a 7-2 record, while Vanderbilt began at 4-5.
Neither team scored in the opening quarter. Vanderbilt broke through first in the second quarter when Brock Taylor made a 52-yard field goal, giving the Commodores a 3-0 lead.
Alabama answered just before halftime. Russell completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to M. Pritchett with six seconds remaining in the second quarter, sending the Crimson Tide into the break with a 7-3 advantage.
The game changed further in the third quarter, when Alabama scored two more touchdowns through the air. Russell connected with L. Brooks for a 39-yard touchdown at the 12:18 mark, extending the lead to 14-3.
Vanderbilt responded with another long field goal from Taylor, who converted from 57 yards to cut the margin to 14-6.
Alabama answered again.
Russell’s second touchdown pass to Brooks, a 9-yard completion with 7:13 remaining in the third quarter, gave the Crimson Tide a 21-6 lead. The score proved to be the final touchdown of the game.
Neither team added points in the fourth quarter.
Russell accounted for all three Alabama touchdowns, beginning with the late second-quarter pass to Pritchett and continuing with the two third-quarter connections to Brooks. The sequence allowed Alabama to turn a four-point halftime lead into a 15-point advantage during the third quarter.
Vanderbilt’s scoring came entirely from Taylor, whose 52-yard field goal provided the Commodores’ first points and whose 57-yarder supplied their only points of the second half. Alabama’s defense did not allow a Vanderbilt touchdown.
Alabama defensive lineman Devan Thompkins left the game injured in the second half, with the Crimson Tide leading 21-6.
The game followed a clear progression after the scoreless first quarter. Vanderbilt took the first lead, Alabama moved ahead in the final seconds of the first half, and Russell’s two third-quarter touchdown passes to Brooks gave the Crimson Tide the separation it needed.
Alabama finished with a 21-6 victory over Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium.
Sadie Calloway
College Football, The Library Media
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