Alabama Football vs. Vanderbilt: Second half open thread

After a big win over Georgia last weekend, many expected Alabama to get off to a slow start. But seeing Vanderbilt score two touchdowns to open the game wasn't really on the bingo card.

The Dores shot the ball right down Bama's throat, and on the Tide's first possession, Ryan Williams was tackled before the ball arrived, and the subsequent deflection resulted in a pick-6.

Alabama's offense did score the next time they got the ball, but then the defense gave up a 10-minute scoring drive by using two No. 2 players on a punt, giving Vandy a free first down, then Two more 3rd down stops were wiped away with a facemask penalty and a very dubious rough passing penalty.

The Alabama offense scored again, but the defense allowed another longer drive for a field goal.

The Tide almost got the ball back before halftime and had a chance to score, but a third-and-long shovel pass outsmarted the entire defense and Vandy scored a 30-yard gain to end the half.

Ultimately, Alabama's offense played well overall, but it barely saw the field between the pick-6 and the defense, which endured three very long drives.

The defense? Terrible. For them, it was an inexcusable performance in the first half… And the same goes for the special teams.

Hopefully the first half is a wake-up call for the team that just beat UGA. A 9-point deficit can easily be made up, but the margin for error has become much smaller in order to avoid becoming a laughing stock across the country.