Alabama-Vandy game was vice for defense junkies

By Marc Hudgens  |   Tuesday, September 11, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

Alabama Crimson Tide
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Two SEC teams that racked up tons of points in college football's opening weekend ended up battling it out in a low-scoring defensive bout in Nashville on Saturday.

Two weekends ago, Vanderbilt crushed FCS opponent Richmond, 41-17. Also last week, Alabama flat-out smashed its FCS foe, Western Carolina, 52-6.

With those two outcomes in mind, one would think the 'Bama-Vandy game was destined to be an offensive shootout. Along with their very deep running backs, Crimson Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson and star wideout D.J. Hall would be in a dead-heat race against Commodore quarterback Chris Nickson and his partner in crime, two-time All-SEC wideout Earl Bennett, who is arguably the best receiver in the entire conference.

But no such thing happened.

This time, both teams' defenses showed up and were very prepared, paving the way to a modest 24-10 final decision in Alabama's favor. During the game it appeared Vandy was going to squelch the Pachyderms' re-ascent to SEC glory.

The Tide defensive front stopped the Commodores' rush, leaving them with only 57 ground yards the entire game. And defensive backs Simeon Castille -- touted as being the best in the SEC -- and Rashad Johnson kept Vandy from making catches when it counted. They held Bennett to only four grabs for 52 yards. The stout defensive effort prevented Vanderbilt from scoring a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.

On the other side, Vanderbilt put on quite a defensive show, too. Safety Reshard Langford was all over the field, picking Wilson off on one occasion and almost a few more times before the game was through, leaving Wilson completing only 14 of 28 attempts for zero touchdowns.

Although Alabama scored two touchdowns, one of them was set up by a 69-yard punt return by Javier Arenas in the first quarter. One play later, 'Bama was in the end zone. So there was only one Tide touchdown that was a result of a progressive, offensive march down the field, and that took place in the fourth quarter. Vandy prevented Alabama and its staunch running attack from scoring a single touchdown in almost three quarters of play.

Both defenses looked excellent, holding the offenses to very few third-down conversions; the Tide went 6 of 15, and the Commodores only converted 6 of 18. It was definitely not an interesting match for those who love to see offensive fireworks. Many would quickly dub the game as "boring," but for those who love unyielding defenses that hit hard and make wild plays in pass coverage, it was a great contest.

Some are saying Alabama dominated Vanderbilt. However, that's not the case when nine of your 24 points come via field goals. The game was much closer than the score indicated, and, unfortunately, it will most likely go down as one of the most overlooked but best defensive battles this season.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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