Ty Simpson passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns to help No. 10 Alabama notch a 30-14 victory over No. 16 Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon in Southeastern Conference play at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Jam Miller rushed for 136 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries, Conor Talty kicked three field goals and Keon Sabb nabbed a key interception for Alabama (4-1, 2-0 SEC), which recorded its fourth straight victory.
Justin Jefferson racked up 13 tackles to go with one sack and a forced fumble in the red zone, Ryan Williams caught six passes for 98 yards and a touchdown and Germie Bernard had five receptions for 82 yards and a score as Alabama avenged last season’s stunning loss to the Commodores.
Diego Pavia was 21 of 35 for 198 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 58 rushing yards for Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1), which built a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter but never scored again. Sedrick Alexander rushed for one touchdown and caught the other for the Commodores.
Last season, Pavia famously led Vanderbilt to a 40-35 upset of the Crimson Tide in Nashville for the program’s first win over a Top 5 team.
Vanderbilt trailed 20-14 early in the fourth quarter when it drove into the red zone for a first down at to the Crimson Tide 17-yard line, but Pavia didn’t have the magic touch this time. He attempted to thread a pass over the middle to Eli Stowers, but Sabb intercepted it at the 7 and returned it to the Alabama 19 with 12:37 left in the game.
The Crimson Tide then chewed up 8:29 off the clock — picking up five first downs — to set up Talty for a 30-yard field goal to give Alabama a 23-14 advantage with 4:08 remaining.
Miller put the game away with a 20-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds remaining.
Simpson completed 23 of 31 passes with one interception while recording his second 300-yard passing game.
Talty booted field goals of 38 and 30 yards in the third quarter after the score was tied at 14 at halftime.
Vanderbilt struck first when Alexander broke free and raced 65 yards for a touchdown with 6:34 left in the first quarter.
The Commodores were in position to tack on more points, but Pavia fumbled on a third-down scramble. Jefferson forced the fumble and Tim Keenan III recovered at Alabama’s 8.
The Crimson Tide then navigated 92 yards on 12 plays and tied the score on Simpson’s 14-yard scoring pass to Williams with 9:22 left in the second quarter.
Vanderbilt took a 14-7 lead when Pavia flicked a shovel pass to Alexander, who took it in for a 4-yard score to give the Commodores a 14-7 lead with 1:33 left in the half.
Alabama zipped down the field quickly and knotted the score on Simpson’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Bernard with 17 seconds to go.
