Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason would love nothing more than to establish senior running back Ralph Webb as a tone setter versus Alabama, but he knows it will be a challenge.
Webb, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2015 and 2016, is off to a slow start with 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries through three games.
He’s averaging nearly three yards per carry (2.57), while the Crimson Tide’s defensive front allows nearly the same amount (2.71).
Senior linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton called Alabama’s performance ‘pathetic’ against Colorado State, following the Rams gaining 144 yards rushing and a touchdown.
With having Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings back from injuries, head coach Nick Saban anticipates this unit playing to its standard on the road in Nashville.
An interesting storyline for this matchup will be the chess match between two friends – Mason and Karl Dunbar.
The two were together in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, and from studying Dunbar’s work, Mason knows the Commodores are in for a fight.
“We are going to face one of the best run defenses in the country,” Mason said Tuesday during his interview on The Wake Up Zone via 104.5 WGFX-FM. “Coach Karl Dunbar and I go way back and he’s one of the best defensive line coaches in the country. Period.”
While Dunbar served as defensive line coach from 2006 to 2011 for the Vikings, Mason was the franchise’s assistant defensive backs coach from 2007-09.
Dunbar has spent 17 years coaching the “big uglies” on defense, including 11 seasons in the NFL. His first season at Alabama brought instant success (2016), as he inherited a unit that had an NCAA-best 54 sacks.
Even with the problems that Alabama will present to Vanderbilt’s offense, Mason remains highly confident in Webb, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig and the plan that’s been worked on.
“Just because it’s a challenge doesn’t mean you stop at the door,” Mason said.
“You try to open the door, walk through it, and we’re going to have to find a way to run the football. We’ll have something planned for Alabama.”
Vanderbilt Stadium will be on edge Saturday as the Commodores attempt to upset the top-ranked team in college football.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
