Tim Keenan sent powerful message to teammates at halftime against Vanderbilt

© Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Tim Kennan III gave Alabama football a wake-up call at halftime en route to its 30-14 victory over Vanderbilt on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.

This message hit home after Crimson Tide started the day sloppy on both sides of the ball, committing the first turnover of the game then going on to surrender a 65-yard touchdown run on Vanderbilt’s first possession. The Commodores jumped out and later went on to collect 214 yards total of offense, while being ahead 14-7 for much of the opening two quarters before Alabama was able to tie things at 14 right before intermission.

These struggles led the senior defensive tackle and co-captain to take matters into his own hands by speaking up at halftime to the entire Alabama locker room.

“Nah, this is not how it’s fixing to go,” Keenan III said was the message he laid down to his Crimson Tide teammates at half while meeting with reporters after the game. “I don’t know what needs to be happening, but we cannot go out like that. We know what’s been going on. We’ve been practicing all week. We know what we gotta do, so let’s just execute.”

This message fueled Alabama into flipping the switch after half, scoring 16 unanswered points. The veteran tackle pitched in with five tackles, including a half tackle for loss.

“We knew we had to come out and start fast, set the tone,” Keenan III said. “It was just mindset. Momentum carries, so the defense goes out there and gets the stop, offense gets the ball rolling. It’s good team ball going on.”

Alabama football’s offense and defense look to keep feeding off each other’s energy moving forward.