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The Vanderbilt football team landed a historic win over the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, besting their SEC rival 40-35. The win was the program’s first versus a Top 5 foe, and the fanbase celebrated as such.
Attendees were seen storming the field after the monumental victory, ripping out the goalposts and successfully depositing them into the Cumberland River. It was a great day to be a Commodore!
The game was one that will be remembered in Nashville for years to come. After jumping out to an early 23-7 lead, Vandy held off a furious Crimson Tide comeback effort.
Each time Alabama punched, the Commodores responded!
The Tide closed the gap to five points or less on three separate occasions, but Vanderbilt would never hand over the lead. The postgame scene was incredible.
The Commodores soaked in the win while rubbing Alabama’s nose in the upset victory.
As Vandy fans rushed onto the field, the videoboard aired a quote from former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban commenting on the atmosphere in Nashville.
“The only place you play in the SEC that’s not hard to play is Vanderbilt,” Saban said just two weeks before kickoff. The message aged, oh, so poorly!
Fans swiftly exited the field, goal posts in hand, and marched through downtown before coming to their intended destination.
That celebration, unfortunately, came with a six-figure fine from the SEC.
The conference released a statement on the $100,000 punishment for storming the field after the win.
Vanderbilt was in violation of the policy following its game against the University of Alabama and will incur a fine of $100,000 for a first offense under the league’s current access to competition area policy that was revised at the SEC Spring Meetings in 2023.
The school will gladly take the fine, and they should have a little bit of help in paying the debt.
Vanderbilt football is auctioning off items from the Alabama.
That memorabilia ranges from game used footballs, to autographed pylons, to personalized helmets.
Even sections of the uprights are available after the goal posts were recovered from the river.
Nashville Fire Department retrieves the goalpost from the Cumberland River and it is being turned over to Vanderbilt where it will probably be cut up for fans for a donation for the SEC fine. @VandyAD @VandyFootball @NashvilleFD #Vanderbiltgoalpost #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/sY2UcB2h3m
— David S Ewing (@DavidSEwing) October 6, 2024
Every little bit helps!
For Vanderbilt football fans, it offers an opportunity to purchase a piece of program history. For the school, it might make the fine a bit easier to swallow!