The hot takes are raining down on Alabama football, who had the audacity to lose a game they should've won against the Vanderbilt Commodores. SEC Network's Paul Finebaum appeared on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe and berated the performance of the Crimson Tide.
“That's why this was so debilitating and quite frankly pathetic and embarrassing. This is the same school that beat Georgia a week ago and lost to a school that lost to Georgia Southern.”
Alabama is now ranked No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the ClutchPoints' College Football Power Rankings.
Blame shifting toward Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer
Finebaum also directed comments toward first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer while on The Matt Barrie Show.
“Well, we saw a new head coach in Alabama named Kalen DeBoer, who, after all the praise he got here last week, showed that the Nick Saban era is over, because Nick Saban would have never lost that game,” said Finebaum.
“And people talk about the Louisiana-Monroe game, you know, (Saban) inherited a 6-7 team. This is the worst loss I have ever seen by a quality Alabama team,” said Finebaum. “I’ve seen bad Alabama teams lose … but I’ve never seen a great Alabama team lose like this, and it is sending shockwaves through the Alabama ecosystem right now.”
Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe attempted to add some reflection in his immediate reaction after the team's loss, per Nick Kelly of AL.com.
“Losing feels bad,” Milroe said, via Al.com. “It’s all about how you can reflect and how can you refine and get better. That’s going to be critical for us to have the 24-hour rule. Regroup, refocus. Challenge each other to get better.”
Alabama's defense didn't step up and couldn't properly adjust. The Commodores gained 418 total yards on offense. Vandy QB Diego Pavia completed 16-for-20 of his passes, for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
The Crimson Tide can't underestimate any opponent. Alabama football still has No. 8 Tennessee, No. 21 Missouri, No. 13 LSU and No. 18 Oklahoma remaining on their schedule. Next week, Alabama hosts South Carolina on Saturday, October 12 at 12:00 p.m. EST.