Bryce Young threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns in less than three quarters as No. 2 Alabama dominated Vanderbilt in a 55-3 Southeastern Conference rout Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
In outgaining the Commodores (3-2, 0-1) 628-129 and allowing just nine first downs, the Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0) made a case to return to the top spot in the polls after No. 1 Georgia muddled through a 39-22 win earlier Saturday against Kent State.
Ja’Corey Brooks was Young’s favorite target with six catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Twelve different players caught a pass for Alabama, which outrushed Vanderbilt 228-14.
AJ Swann completed 13 of 26 passes for 115 yards for the Commodores, who have already won more games than they did all of last year. But they were physically overmatched Saturday, allowing five sacks and managing just one third-down conversion in 13 attempts.
The Tide initiated scoring just over six minutes into the game on Young’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Brooks. Joseph Bulovas, a graduate transfer from Alabama, hit a 40-yard field goal at the 3:49 mark for Vanderbilt.
But Alabama did all the scoring for the game’s remainder. Young made it 14-3 with 35 seconds left in the first quarter on an 8-yard strike to Traeshon Holden, then found Brooks for a 34-yard touchdown just over two minutes later.
Young found Jahmyr Gibbs for a 7-yard score with 4:43 left in the half for a 28-3 lead and Will Reichard ended the half by nailing a 40-yard field goal.
The Tide methodically continued to pile up points after halftime. Reichard converted a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter and Jase McClellan scored on a 12-yard run with 2:56 left in the third.
Jamarion Miller capped an 87-yard drive that lasted nearly 7 1/2 minutes with a 1-yard plunge at the 5:11 mark of the fourth quarter. He added a 40-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left.
McClellan led all rushers with 78 yards on 11 attempts.
–Field Level Media
