Sedrick Alexander gives Vanderbilt 7-0 lead over Alabama with 65-yard TD
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Sedrick Alexander was like a bolt of lightning for Vanderbilt to begin Saturday’s game, taking a handoff from Diego Pavia and going untouched through the Alabama defense for a 65-yard touchdown run that gave the 16th-ranked Commodores some early momentum in Tuscaloosa.
The 10th-ranked Crimson Tide were dazed and confused as the junior running back raced through the middle of the line on a 2nd-and-4 play from Vandy’s own 35-yard line. Alexander built up a head of steam on the run that was just strong enough to carry him to the end zone without a Bama defender laying a hand on him.
Alexander’s touchdown came with 6:34 left in the first quarter, giving Vandy the early 7-0 edge and completing a 6-play drive that began on the Commodores’ own 7-yard line.
Here is Alexander’s early, bold statement to Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium:
The national TV spotlight game on ABC was off to a phenomenal start for Vanderbilt, which was trying to knock off Alabama for the second straight season. Last year in Nashville, the Commodores took down then-No. 1 Alabama, tore down the goalposts and announced their arrival as a program to be taken seriously with Pavia at the helm.
This season, Vandy was trying to pull off the same upset but on Bama’s home turf. Alexander made sure that pursuit was off to a great start.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
