Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
There was always going to be an upset in Saturday’s early slate. Many assumed it was going to happen in Tuscaloosa. It didn’t. But one SEC contender did get tripped up Saturday.
Alabama gets revenge on Vanderbilt
Alabama heard all the noise from outside people. They especially heard it from Diego Pavia.
They came off a win over Georgia for the second straight year. However, this year they were able to win in a big way at home against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
The Crimson Tide did their best copy-paste moment edition of last year’s game and took Vanderbilt out into deep waters on Saturday. They ran the ball, forced the issue, forced turnovers, and most importantly they controlled the clock.
Those are all things that Vanderbilt did to Alabama a year ago. On Saturday it was the Tide that put up nearly 500 yards of offense and held the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game.
Ain’t It Fun #RollTide | @_MIBProgram pic.twitter.com/9zpAvhpVzV
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) October 4, 2025
Diego Pavia was caught practicing running victory formation reps before the game. He was also caught with his foot in his mouth multiple times before the game. Regardless, he still held his own and finished with 256 yards of offense. It was his uncharacteristic two turnovers that cost the Commodores though. Vanderbilt had an opportunity to take a two score lead early on before Pavia fumbled inside the ten yard line.
It wasn’t easy, but Ty Simpson finished the game completing over 74 percent of his passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jam Miller added another 136 yards on the ground. Alabama ended the game with a great win and a backdoor cover.
Florida dominates Texas
The battle between two of the most overhyped quarterbacks in the country went down Saturday in Gainesville, Florida.
Billy Napier, with his job on the line and his back against the wall, won again in The Swamp. This time he did it in emphatic fashion over a top ten team in Texas that many thought would put the final nail in the coffin of his tenure.
It did not.
Florida dominated Texas, and the final score wasn’t remotely close to how one sided this game was. Florida dominated from start to finish. DJ Lagway finished 21-of-28 for nearly 300 yards and Florida took a two score lead into the fourth quarter.
The preseason assumption that Arch Manning should’ve been a Heisman candidate and top five pick have almost completely disappeared. He finished the day with 263 yards, but most of it came when the Longhorns were down by two scores and the game was in hand.
An investigation needs to be created on how the national media tricked us into thinking Arch Manning was gonna be the next great quarterback
pic.twitter.com/ocXRQp1Ycy— DIEGS (@TexasDiegs) October 4, 2025
Texas falls to 3-2 before next week’s game against Oklahoma. Florida finishes the second half of their early season gauntlet with a huge win over a top ten team.
Is it enough to keep Billy Napier’s job? We’ll see.
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