As the goalposts at FirstBank Stadium headed toward the Cumberland River on Saturday night after Vanderbilt defeated Alabama 40-35 on Saturday, the Commodore head coach felt good. He talked about creating the VU program, believing his team could pull off the upset, and the feeling of seeing fans rush onto the field afterward.

He also acknowledged something obvious to everyone in the stadium on Saturday.

“I felt like we were the most physically dominant team tonight,” Lea said. “That’s an explanation. They played hard and we made it difficult. (Alabama) got some action with their skills, and they were able to take down Diego (Pavia) a few times, but we just kept throwing our punches.

Alabama was the No. 1 team in the Associated Press media poll entering Saturday’s game after a thrilling win over Georgia. Vanderbilt was 2-2 after a double-overtime loss to Missouri.

When the gates opened in Nashville, it looked like the crowd was at least 80% Alabama fans. When the game ended, the rest of the crowd filled the field.

The Crimson Tide had their chances to come back. UA closed the deficit to two points twice in the second half, but was never able to take the lead.

For Lea, the win, with his team looking better than the top-ranked team in the country, was satisfying.

“Special night for Vanderbilt,” Lea said. “Special evening for my team. Here’s to more of these things.”

Alabama is back in action next Saturday against South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Vanderbilt will face Kentucky in Lexington.