Deontae Lawson, “Pavia’s a Playmaker”

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama secured a big victory last weekend over the Georgia Bulldogs 24-21 in Athens, Georgia. However, the Crimson Tide has no time to rest after the big win last Saturday, with the Georgia game immediately followed by Alabama hosting not only a top-20 Vanderbilt team but also College Gameday on Saturday.

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It's a similar situation to last season, where Alabama got a close victory over Georgia, then immediately turned around to play Vanderbilt. The stakes are higher now, with Vanderbilt undefeated and one win away from bowl eligibility, while the Crimson Tide looks to avoid another disastrous upset by the Commodores.

That's what Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson echoed on Tuesday during his availability. He highlighted how good Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is, how hard it is to stop the Commodores' offense, and how Alabama is working to avoid a collapse like it saw last season in the 40-35 upset in Nashville.

Lawson was asked on Tuesday about defensive coordinator Kane Wommack's comments from Monday, in which Wommack said that the perimeter run game hurt the Crimson Tide against Georgia. How does Lawson see Alabama getting better in that phase of the game?

"I think everybody just being gap sound," Lawson said. "That's for corners in a fit, or if we're in cover two, the corner needs to fit the edge and things like that.

"Also, just running to the ball. Just pursuing. I mean, we call ourselves Swarm D, so we gotta swarm to the ball, especially on the perimeter, so that's something we've been preaching the past couple of weeks, is when the ball declares, everyone gets to the ball and be violent when you get there."

Wommack also mentioned eye discipline on Monday, which will almost certainly be tested as Alabama struggled with misdirection last season in the loss to Vanderbilt. Lawson mentioned how important good discipline and the "swarm D" mentality will be on Saturday.

"Super important. Pavia's definitely a playmaker. We gotta make sure we leverage across the field, create a fence across the field so everyone is gap sound and we can limit him, and limit their explosive plays."

Alabama will take on Vanderbilt at Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday, October 4, at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.