Game 6: 16/17 Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0 SEC) at 10/11 Alabama (3-1, 1-0 SEC)
When: Saturday, Oct. 4 • 2:30 p.m.
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Watch: SEC Network (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath)
Listen: 102.5 The Game (Andrew Allegretta, Norman Jordan and Kevin Ingram)
CENTER STAGE
• Off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2008 and just the second time in 80 years, Vanderbilt will feature on College GameDay for just the second time as well when the Commodores visit Alabama.
• Vandy is 1-0 with GameDay on site, earning a 14-13 win over Auburn in 2008.
• Saturday’s contest marks the first ranked showdown between Vanderbilt and Alabama since 1937. It’s just the fourth time the Dores have been ranked facing the Tide, going 1-1-1 in the previous meetings.
• Vandy has won each of its first five games by 20-plus points for the first time since 1915.
• The Commodores are one of five teams nationally and four in the Power 4 ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing offense and defense (BYU, Indiana, James Madison, Missouri).
FULL STEAM AHEAD
• Vanderbilt’s offense has produced at an historic level to open the season, sitting fourth nationally in scoring offense at 49.0 points per game through five contests. The mark is Vanderbilt’s best scoring average in its first five games since 1915.
• In program history, the Commodores have only finished three seasons with a scoring average better than 40 points: 1904, 1905 and 1915.
• Vanderbilt’s offense ranks in the top 20 nationally in eight major categories and 31st or better in every offensive statistic. The Dores lead the SEC in passing efficiency and rank second in four additional categories.
• With 70 and 55 points in its last two contests, Vanderbilt produced back-to-back games with 50-plus points for the first time since 1915.
CONTROLLING THE SEAS
• Historic offense, meet great defense. Vanderbilt’s defense ranks 21st nationally, holding opponents to just 278.8 yards per game through five contests in 2025.
• The Commodores have been particularly adept at plundering opponents with nine takeaways on the season. With a forced fumble vs. Utah State in Week 5, Vandy created a turnover for a seventh consecutive contest.
• Vanderbilt has recovered a fumble in each of those seven games and is one of five teams tied for the national lead with six fumble recoveries this season.
POLL PLACEMENT
• Vanderbilt’s climb in the polls continued after its fifth-straight win, coming in at No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the AFCA Coaches poll.
• The No. 16 mark in the AP poll is Vanderbilt’s highest ranking since 2008 when the Dores reached No. 13.
• It’s the second consecutive season the Dores have appeared in the polls, marking the first occurance since 2012 and 2013. It is just the second time Vanderbilt has reached the top 25 in consecutive seasons since 1956 and only the sixth occurance in the AP poll’s 90-year history.
• Week 5 marks the third consecutive appearance in the AP poll this season. Vandy has never been ranked for more than four weeks in a single season, occurring three times: 2008, 1941 and 1937.
DOMINANT DIEGO
• Diego Pavia enters Week 6 sitting fifth in the country and first in the SEC with 13 passing touchdowns. He ranks sixth nationally in points responsible for with 90, eighth in passing efficiency (184.6), 13th in yards per pass attempt at 9.61 and 14th in total offense with 301 yards of production per game.
• Pavia matched the Vanderbilt school record with five touchdown passes vs. Utah State, finishing 26-of-34 for 321 yards. He added 79 rushing yards and another score to become the only Commodore to account for six touchdowns against an FBS opponent since 1996.
• Entering Week 6, Pavia has 7,927 career passing yards to his credit. He is also closing in on the top 10 in career passing at Vanderbilt with his 3,504 yards as a Commodore, needing 10 yards to reach John Gromos in 10th all-time.
BACKFIELD CAPERS
• Graduate edge Miles Capers is wreaking havoc in opposing backfields, leading the SEC and ranking 11th in the country with 1.5 tackles for loss per game this season.
• Capers’ 7.5 TFL are just 0.5 shy of his career-best eight from the 2024 season. He had 11.5 career TFL entering the season.
• His 3.5 sacks through five games have also eclipsed his previous season high of three from 2024.
• Capers has recorded multiple tackles in every game this season and 12-straight contests dating back to October 2024.
• He has made 2.5 tackles for loss in three games this season, including each of the past two contests entering the showdown with Alabama.
SHERRILL STRIKES
• Junior Sherrill notched three touchdowns and 91 yards on six catches in the Week 5 victory over Utah State, all career highs for the junior wideout. All three touchdown grabs came in the first half, making Sherrill the first Commodore with three TD catches in a half since Earl Bennett in 2005.
• Sherrill leads the Dores with five touchdown receptions on the season and his six total scores are second on the team behind Sedrick Alexander. His five TD grabs rank sixth nationally and second in the SEC.
• The wideout needs just 71 yards to reach 1,000 career receiving yards, sitting at 929 entering Week 6.
• He registered the first rushing score of his career with an 8-yard touchdown run in the win over Georgia State.
• Sherrill is third on the team with 17 catches while averaging 13.2 yards per reception in 2025.
SYDNOR GETS STOPS
• Graduate defensive lineman Khordae Sydnor has continued to make his presence felt in opposing backfields during his second season at Vanderbilt, already amassing 5.0 tackles for loss through five games this season.
• The five stops behind the line of scrimmage are tied for second on the team. His 34 yards of created loss are second most behind only Capers with 48.
• His five TFL are just 1.5 shy of his previous career high, set last season at Vandy and in 2022 at Purdue.
• Sydnor owns 11.5 TFL at Vanderbilt and 20.5 over his five-year career.
• With 1.5 sacks this season, Sydnor sits fourth on the Dores. He leads the squad in quarterback hurries, registering four in the first five games of the year.
RELIABLE
• Eli Stowers ranks second nationally among tight ends with 301 receiving yards through five games in 2025.
• He ranks third among all active tight ends with 1,305 career receiving yards. Both players ahead of Stowers have played four full seasons to Stowers’ two-plus at the position.
• Stowers’ 12.3 yards per catch career average is sixth nationally among active tight ends.
BROCKET LAUNCHER
• Brock Taylor knocked home a pair of field goals against Utah State to run his streak to 16 consecutive made kicks. The streak is the fifth-longest active run in the nation.
• Taylor was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance vs. Utah State going 2-for-2 on field goals and 6-for-6 on extra points.
• Taylor nailed a 51-yard kick at South Carolina, giving him six makes of 50 or more yards. He is the first player in school history with at least five 50-yard-plus field goals.
