TUSCALOOSA — Two of the conference’s top defenses meet Saturday: one a perennial power, the other a sometimes-forgotten upstart that has little issue accepting the sudden attention it is receiving.
“We’ve always been shielded from the hype,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said, “because there’s never really been a whole bunch of it.”
Mason is nothing if not self-aware. The fourth-year Commodores coach is the architect of an exotic 3-4 base defense with wacky formations that have spread across social media. He fully realizes the difficult challenge ahead — No. 1 Alabama on Saturday at 2:30 p.