Alabama football’s defense wasn’t up to the task. When it had chances to get off the field against Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Crimson Tide simply couldn’t stop Diego Pavia and the Commodore offense.

Vanderbilt converted 12 of its 18 third downs throughout the game on its way to a 40-35 upset win.

“You look at third-down defense this past week and fourth-down defense in the second half against Georgia, not to the standard,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “For six quarters there, third and fourth down, we have not operated to the level we’re capable of, otherwise we’re looking at different stories in both those games.”

The Crimson Tide’s struggles on fourth down in the Georgia game cost it a 28-point lead. However, those issued weren’t as magnified, as Alabama managed to win the game.

Not so against Vanderbilt. VU head coach Clark Lea said afterward that limiting Alabama’s offensive drives was a key element of his game plan. The Commodores held the ball for more than 42 minutes of game time, taking the result out of the UA offense’s hands.

Part of the issue was an inability to stop the Vanderbilt option attack, an offense different than anything the Tide has seen so far this season. UA looked tentative at times, which led to some third-down conversions.

“There’s a way a game is supposed to be played from a defensive standpoint with physicality and urgency,” Wommack said. “And I thought we played a little too much on our heels last week, and certainly that’s going to be the No. 1 thought process as we game plan this week is getting our guys to play at a really high physical level.”

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said he felt the defense performed better in the second half on first and second-down plays. However, the group still couldn’t get off the field.

Wommack said it’s key for his unit not to panic. But, there’s some fundamentals that will need fixing.

“It’s about building consistency in your young men,” Wommack said. “It’s about building consistency in your young players. And so there’s some things that we’ve got to continue to be able to work through. I wish I had the magic genie button, whatever you want to say, to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to give these guys the experience they need to be able to maneuver moving forward.’

” But sometimes you’ve got to go through some of these hardships and these challenges and adversities, and then expect your coaching and those players have an urgency to get things fixed moving forward. That’s certainly what I expect from us this Saturday.”

Alabama returns to action at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Tuscaloosa against South Carolina. The game will be aired on ABC.