Tua Football pic.twitter.com/phRmiqAAhR
— Jack Jorgensen (@JackJorgensen14) September 23, 2017
That’s Alabama freshman backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa pulling off a little Johnny Football action against Vanderbilt. The Tide had already piled up 45 points, covering the over by themselves with 20 minutes to go, all against a team that’d given up only seven points to Kansas State the week prior. Bama’s still Bama.
Same:
(We’re also glad Tagovailoa was able to overcome the language barrier brought on by moving from one part of the United States to another, as one Bama message boarder trollingly feared.)
By the end:
Alabama outgained Vanderbilt by 599 yards (677-78), easily breaking the previous school record (544) for yardage differential set in 1973.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 23, 2017
The 677 total yards is also No. 2 all-time in UA history.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) September 23, 2017
Not to pick on Vandy, but this happened after a few days of the Dores expressing way more confidence in a game against the Tide than the Dores have traditionally expressed in anything, let alone a game against the Tide.
That extended from coaches ...
“I truly believe our guys are going to get to work today, hammer out the plan over the next couple of days, and we’ll have something for Alabama,” [head coach Derek] Mason said, who added that Alabama has one of the best run defenses in the country.
Mason admitted that the running problems are partly because opponents are stacking the line of scrimmage and forcing Vanderbilt to beat them by passing. Because of that, it’s up to the Commodores to win one-on-one battles.
“Do we have challenges? Yes,” Mason said. “But this team doesn’t fear anybody.
... to players ...
"We expected to get this [win over Kansas State]," [defensive lineman] Nifae Lealeo told WSMV News 4. "When you come to our house, we show you how to play some SEC ball. It don't matter where you from. You're going to know what ball we play. We're going into next week ranked. That's fine. Alabama, you're next."
... and even to fans.
It was faint, because 20,000 of the announced 38,000 sellout crowd in Vanderbilt Stadium were Kansas State fans, but you could hear it:
“WE WANT BAMA. WE WANT BAMA.”
Confidence is great, and I hope Vanderbilt never stops believing in itself. Vandy didn’t even say anything all that dramatic, but that didn’t matter, in Bama’s mind:
Alabama's Da'Ron Payne said it was a bad mistake by Vanderbilt to do "all that talking" before the game. pic.twitter.com/fcDdllCmK7
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) September 23, 2017
It’s just that this is the latest example of why you should almost never WANT BAMA.
well you got bama pic.twitter.com/axVtzZzB2z
— SB Nation CFB (@SBNationCFB) December 31, 2016