Novig pricesVanderbilt will play Alabama without edge rusher Edwin Kolenge, initial SEC report shows
Vanderbilt lists edge Edwin Kolenge and OL Ted Gregoire out for Alabama, adding to a list of eight Commodores who will miss Saturday's SEC game.
Vanderbilt will be missing one of its best pass rushers when Alabama comes to FirstBank Stadium on Saturday. The SEC's first availability report of the week lists edge Edwin Kolenge as out, along with offensive lineman Ted Gregoire, according to The Tennessean.
The Kolenge news was the one nobody saw coming. Vanderbilt Commodores On SI called him one of the Commodores' most important transfer additions. He came over from Boston College and has three sacks this season, including half a sack in last week's 25-23 win at Mississippi State. Gregoire has played as a depth lineman. Losing him thins out a front that is already without Gunner Givens, who has a season-ending hip injury.
The other six names on the Vanderbilt list were expected. On SI reported that running back Evan Hampton broke a bone in his lower leg against Kentucky. Linebacker Josiah Broxton tore an ACL the week of that game, and defensive lineman Aaron Bryant tore an ACL in late September. All three are done for the season. Backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz is still out with a collarbone injury, and linebacker Daniel Vollmer Jr. remains sidelined. The Commodores have no players listed as doubtful, questionable or probable.
Alabama listed seven players as out: linebackers Desmond Umeozula and Cayden Jones, defensive linemen Mhari Johnson and Jeremiah Beaman, defensive back Nick Sherman, tight end Josh Ford and offensive lineman Casey Poe. Quarterback Keelon Russell is listed as probable, as are running back EJ Crowell, defensive backs Zabien Brown and Chuck McDonald III, and offensive lineman William Sanders. Under the SEC's system, teams update the report daily and file a final version 90 minutes before kickoff.
What it means for Saturday
The two teams arrive in very different form. Alabama is 7-2 and has won two in a row since back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee. The latest was a 31-13 win at LSU. The Crimson Tide average about 37 points a game and allow about 20. Vanderbilt is 4-5 and 1-5 in the SEC. Its win in Starkville ended a four-game conference losing streak. In league play, the Commodores have scored about 18 points a game and allowed about 33. The Tennessean noted they need two wins in their last three games to reach a bowl for a third straight season. Freshman Jared Curtis is starting at quarterback in his first season.
This is Alabama's first trip to Nashville since Vanderbilt's 2024 upset. Kickoff is 11:45 a.m. Central on SEC Network. Without Kolenge, Vanderbilt will have a harder time pressuring Russell, and its plan to control possession leans more heavily on an offensive line that is now missing two players.
Alabama is a heavy favorite across the 12 venues on this site's board. Novig has the Crimson Tide at -852 to win outright and Vanderbilt at +770. Polymarket's +770 on Vanderbilt is essentially the same price. Novig lists Alabama favored by 17.5 points at -102. FanDuel offers the best Alabama spread price at -16.5 for -120, so the venues differ by a point on the number. Novig sets the total at 50.5, with -104 on each side. Pinnacle's under 51 at -113 is the best under price. Sportsbook hold on the spread ranges from 3.4% to 6.6%.