Vanderbilt had not beaten Alabama since the end of Ronald Reagan’s first term.

The Commodores hadn’t even had a lead against the Crimson Tide in 16 years.

So the second-ranked Tide didn’t want to create any unwanted history in their conference opener on Saturday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

What Bryce Young did want to create was some belated chemistry with his wide receivers, especially Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton, and he was able to do just that early and often. The final score was 55-3 and the Tide had started their SEC gauntlet off in roaring fashion, improving to 4-0 going into next Saturday’s showdown at Arkansas.

But the game within the game on this night was Young, in Week 4, finally getting some rhythm with his weapons, the old ones and the new ones. It was probably no coincidence that Young hit Burton, who had only caught 8 passes all season, on an 8-yard quick out on the first play from scrimmage.

And though the Tide punted on its first possession, thanks to a holding penalty, a tone had been set, and Young spent the rest of the first quarter carving up a Commodores team that came in a surprising 3-1 under 2nd-year head coach Clark Lea. Young and his revitalized stable of receivers made sure Vandy left Tuscaloosa humbled, with a 3-2 record and with 23 losses in a row to Alabama.

Young had 161 yards passing by the end of the 1st quarter. He was 12 of 15 and it felt like 15 of 15. Burton had come out of the proverbial cobwebs with 3 catches for 46 yards. Ja’Corey Brooks already had 5 grabs for 83 yards, including the first scoring drive of the night where he caught passes from Young on each of the 4 plays, capped by a 21-yard touchdown where Young hit him in stride in the back of the end zone.

The game was 3 possessions old and it was only 7-0, but it truly felt like more. No history of any kind was being created by Vandy on this night. Only that long-awaited chemistry by Young and his receivers.

The Young-to-Brooks Show on the Tide’s 2nd possession was only the start of the onslaught. After a Commodores field goal made it 7-3, Young went right back to work, leading Bama on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that included hookups to Burton for 24 and 14 yards. There were 15-yard completions to Brooks and Jase McClellan. And then an 8-yard TD pass to Traeshon Holden. Everybody was getting involved — at last.

And Vandy was already getting desperate early in the 2nd quarter.

The Commodores went for it on 4th and 1 in their own territory and Will Anderson Jr. was waiting. He stopped freshman quarterback AJ Swann — who was making his 2nd career start and first SEC start after last week’s 4-touchdown debut against Northern Illinois — and handed the ball back to Young, who needed all of 1 play to get the ball back into the end zone. He found Brooks on a perfect 34-yard TD strike, it was 21-3 and Young’s first-half passing clinic was in full bloom.

Later in the 2nd quarter, the possessed Young was back at it, leading a 9-play, 77-yard drive that he finished by finding Jahmyr Gibbs — his other prized weapon that came via transfer — for a 7-yard TD. It was 28-3, but Young wasn’t satisfied with his highlight-reel of a 1st half yet. With just 26 seconds left and starting at his own 20, Young went to his 2 transfers again, hooking up with Gibbs for 10 yards before finding Burton for a beautiful 48-yard connection that brought a fitting end to Young’s most productive half ever at Alabama.

The pass to Burton set up Will Reichard for a 40-yard field goal on the final play of a wonderfully dizzying half for Young. The score was 31-3, and that chemistry between Young and his weapons was created. Young threw for an astounding 316 yards in the half, going 20 of 29 with those 4 TD passes. He wasn’t intercepted, and he connected with 8 different receivers, including his old friend Brooks, who was already well over 100 yards.

Young was well on his way to improving to 17-2 as the starter at Alabama, to getting himself firmly back in the Heisman Trophy talk and, most importantly, to creating that flow and wizardry with his teammates that everyone saw last season when he captured the Heisman.

Things predictably slowed down for Young in the 2nd half, numbers-wise if not on the scoreboard. He led an 84-yard drive that ended in another Reichard field goal. Then it was a 55-yard march where the Tide actually scored a TD that didn’t involve Young, with McClellan busting loose on a 12-yard touchdown run that made it 41-3.

It was late 3rd quarter and that was it for Young. He went 25 for 36. He piled up 385 yards passing and, of course, it would’ve been a lot more had he played the 4th quarter. The much-maligned Burton accounted for 94 of those yards, signaling what might lie ahead as that SEC gauntlet gets tougher.

There was versatility in the passing game. There was rhythm. There was finally some real chemistry.

And, of course, the same old history with Vandy.