The Alabama Crimson Tide are used to making history, but on Saturday, they were on the wrong end of it.
The Tide was in Nashville for the team’s Week 6 game against the Vanderbilt Commodores, just seven days removed from beating No. 2 Georgia to snatch the No. 1 ranking in college football. Leading up to the game, new head coach Kalen DeBoer attempted to keep his team focused on the opponents and not the “rat poison” (hype) surrounding them. Instead, the team came out flat and got punched in the mouth.
Vanderbilt led by as many as 16 points in the first half, and while the Tide were able to make it a one-score game in the third quarter, they were never able to take the lead. The Commodores went on to win 40-35, and Alabama fans are not taking it well on social media.
“Now Kalen DeBoer gets to meet the real Bama fans,” wrote one fan.
“Kalen DeBoer is the second coming of Mike Shula,” added another.
“Nick Saban might come out of retirement after seeing what Kalen DeBoer has done to his program,” chimed in another.”
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Just like it is for Alabama, losing is an unfamiliar feeling for Kalen DeBoer. Heading into Saturday, DeBoer had accumulated a 29-3 record as a Power 4 head coach.
However, Alabama fans are quite literally not used to losing to Vanderbilt. The Commodores hadn’t beaten the Tide since 1984, and had never taken down a top-five team in program history.
While DeBoer’s track record indicates there isn’t anything to worry about, Tide fans certainly don’t see it that way.
