First quarter goes to Bama

September 08, 2007

By Ken Rogers

Alabama didn’t need any help, but Vanderbilt gave the Tide some aid in the first quarter.
Two big Vanderbilt penalties wiped out potential big plays as Alabama jumped to a 10-3 advantage.
Just as it did in last week’s win over Western Carolina, Alabama scored on its first play from scrimmage. Javier Arenas returned a punt 69 yards to the 1 yard line. Terry Grant scored on the next play. Last week, he scored on a 47-yard run after Arenas returned the opening kickoff into WCU territory.
Bama appears to be controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Chris Nickson has been under pressure for most of his attempts, and that doesn’t bode well for the second half.
Still, Vandy has stayed close, and they’ve got enough athletes to make big plays.