Vanderbilt jumps ahead early, never trails in stunning upset of No. 1 Alabama

Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns as the Commodores shocked top-ranked Alabama, 40-35, at First Bank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday.

Pavia connected on 16 of 20 throws, with six going to tight end Eli Stowers for 113 yards.

Vanderbilt, a 23 1/2-point underdog in its own building — one populated mostly by Alabama fans — jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the game’s first 7:57 and never trailed.

Pavia’s fourth-quarter touchdown throw to Kamrean Johnson provided what proved to be the winning points.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe started the second-half scoring with a 14-yard touchdown scamper over left tackle, cutting Vanderbilt’s lead to 23-21.

But with the Commodores (3-2, 1-1 SEC) facing fourth and a half-yard on the Alabama 35, Pavia hit a wide-open Junior Sherrill for a touchdown to answer.

On third-and-7 from the Alabama 42, Milroe hit a closely contested Ryan Williams along the left sideline at the Vanderbilt 18 and coasted into the end zone for a score, cutting the lead to 30-28.

Vanderbilt’s Brock Taylor answered with a 33-yard field goal with 10:35 left.

Alabama (4-1, 1-1) passed midfield quickly on its next trip, but Miles Capers blasted Milroe in the backfield and Yilanan Ouattara fell on the subsequent fumble at the Vanderbilt 47.

With a little more than five minutes left, Pavia faked a handoff, rolled out and hit an open Johnson in the flat for a 6-yard touchdown for a 40-28 advantage.

Alabama answered on Williams’ 2-yard end-around score on a fourth-and-1 with 2:46 to play to pull within five. The Tide had all three timeouts, leaving Vanderbilt with the challenge of moving the chains.

But Pavia hit Sedrick Alexander with a 19-yard dump-off just before the two-minute warning, and then Alexander scooted left for another first down on the next snap. A Pavia keeper for another first down sealed the upset.

Vanderbilt held the ball for 21:28 and outgained Alabama, 186-157, in building a 23-14 halftime lead.

The Commodores scored on their first drive on Alexander’s 7-yard run.

Three plays later, Vanderbilt’s De’Rickey Wright tipped Milroe’s pass, Randon Fontenette grabbed it and won a race to the left pylon for a 29-yard interception return touchdown.

After Vanderbilt’s Brock Taylor missed the point-after, Alabama countered with Jam Miller’s 8-yard scoring run.

The Crimson Tide then forced a punt, but that got nullified with a duplicate number penalty that awarded Vanderbilt a first down at the ‘Tide 47.

On the drive’s 17th play — one aided by a pair of Alabama personal fouls — Alexander added a 1-yard scoring run to take a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter.