Tim Keenan III On The Second Half Adjustments

In the first half, it seemed as if the Vanderbilt Commodores would challenge Alabama for the full 60 minutes. Quarterback Diego Pavia and his supporting cast initially troubled Alabama's defense, even scoring the first touchdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday after capitalizing on a turnover.

Get our free mobile app

The Commodores led 7-0 for the entire first quarter and extended their lead to 14-7 with under a minute remaining in the second, testing the Crimson Tide on their home turf.

However, the Crimson Tide defense responded in the second half. On Vanderbilt's opening drive of the third quarter, they forced a three-and-out, allowing the offense to take its first lead.

On the Commodores next drive, the Crimson Tide again forced a three-and-out. The fourth quarter proved decisive; the Crimson Tide, leading by just one score (20-14), needed a game-changing play.

Keon Sabb's interception of Pavia allowed Alabama's offense to build on their score, and send the Commodores back to Nashville with their first loss of the season.

The Crimson Tide defense, which allowed 113 rushing yards in the first half, limited the Commodores to just 22 for the rest of the game and prevented them from scoring again.

To secure the shutout and the win, the Crimson Tide needed to refocus on their game plan  and contain Pavia

"We just executed the game plan and did what we were coached to do, what we've been doing all week. It came to fruition," said veteran defensive lineman Tim Keenan III about the defensive adjustments against Pavia.

Vanderbilt had been able to move the ball in the last six quarters (combining last season and the first half of this game) against Alabama, but the second-half shutout ended the streak.

"It's always rewarding, especially when you're playing hard and you see the rewards come during the game; it's just great motivation to keep going, we're executing and moving in the right direction," said Keenan when asked about the adjustment to end the scoring streak.