McCarron passes No. 2 Alabama past Vandy, 34-0

AJ McCarron passed for career-highs of 237 yards and four touchdowns and No. 2 Alabama beat Vanderbilt 34-0 on Saturday night. Trent Richardson rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown in his fifth straight 100-yard effort for the Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference), which already has two shutouts. The Commodores (3-2, 1-2) trailed by only seven points until the final minute of the opening half, then Alabama brushed them aside with four straight touchdown drives. McCarron was 23 of 30 passing and didn’t add to Vandy’s national-best 14 interceptions before sitting out most of the fourth quarter. He hit DeAndrew White for touchdowns of 5 and 39 yards, the first scores of the receiver’s career. Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers replaced starter Larry Smith in the first half and played the rest of the way. Smith headed to the locker room with a lower leg injury. Alabama outgained Vanderbilt 419 to 190 in total yards and allowed only 48 yards and two first downs after halftime. The Tide, which has the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, has already recorded two shutouts for the first time since 2008.

Alabama got off to a slow start trying to follow up dominant performances against Arkansas and Florida in much-hyped games that turned into mismatched. The Tide took a 14-0 lead into halftime after McCarron’s 5-yarder to a leaping White in the back of the end zone with 21 seconds left. McCarron could have practically strolled into the end zone after a pump fake, but fired it to White instead. Vandy had missed two field goals and failed to cash in on four trips into Alabama territory in the first half. The Commodores didn’t get many more opportunities, getting outgained 174-19 in the third quarter. Playing without injured No. 2 rusher Eddie Lacy (foot), Alabama switched back to smashmouth on its first drive of the second half after McCarron threw 23 passes in the first. The Tide marched 94 yards with 11 runs by Richardson and 246-pounder Jalston Fowler and one pass. Richardson practically walked the final yard for his 11th TD run and then McCarron added his long TD pass to White to make it 28-0.

Rodgers, the brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, finished 11-of-18 passing for 104 yards and was intercepted twice in the second half. The Commodores ran for just 41 yards on 19 carries. McCarron hit a leaping DeAndrew White in the back of the end zone with 21 seconds left before the half, capping a 13-play, 78-yard drive. He could have practically strolled into the end zone after a pump fake, but fired it to White instead.

He polished his night off with a 17-yard scoring toss to Darius Hanks early in the fourth.