Alabama Gets First Victory, 59-28

Alabama ended its longest losing streak in more than three decades Saturday, and Coach Gene Stallings got his first victory with a 59-28 Southeastern Conference win over Vanderbilt.

Robert Jones had two one-yard touchdown runs for Alabama, and Gary Hollingsworth threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Kevin Turner. Tarrant Lynch ran 77 yards for a late touchdown.

The Crimson Tide, which had dropped five games dating back to last season, improved to 1-3, 1-2 in the SEC. Vanderbilt (1-2, 1-1) handed Alabama its first 31 points on mistakes, the same kind of errors that had given Alabama its longest string of losses since 1956, when the Tide ended a 15-game skid.

Vanderbilt’s Mike Healy had touchdown passes of eight, four, and 28 yards to Derrick Gragg, but it was not enough to turn the Tide, which led 52-7 at the half.