Alabama has come a long way since the opening-season loss to Florida State.
That’s not to say that Mark Ingram is satisfied, but his Crimson Tide is headed in the right direction after a 24-21 win over Georgia last week. Now, Kalen DeBoer’s team has Vanderbilt in its sights.
“I feel good about how they have responded since the Week 1 loss,” Ingram said on “The Triple Podcast” this week. “But, honestly, we have to move to the next game because the schedule isn’t a cakewalk.
“The same improvements we’ve made from Week 1 to Week 5, we’ve got to keep making from Week 5 through the rest of the season.”
The former Alabama Heisman Trophy-winning running back isn’t looking past Diego Pavia and the Commodores.
“Vandy’s a damn problem,” he said. “Last year, they kind of caught everybody by surprise, but they ain’t catching anybody by surprise this year. … They run the football like you are supposed to run the football.”
A year ago, the Tide followed a win over Georgia with a 40-35 loss at Vanderbilt as a three-touchdown favorite. That stunning setback played a part in keeping Alabama out of the College Football Playoff.
“I think we’re going to come to play,” Ingram said. “They showed up last week against Georgia, and they fought. … I expect them to carry it over and defend our own turf.”
Vandy is off to its best start since 2008, with each win coming by at least 20 points.
The game features the two highest-rated passers in the SEC, with Pavia’s 184.6 pass efficiency rating topping the league just ahead of Ty Simpson’s 173.1. Both rank in the top 15 nationally.
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