Clark Lea and Vanderbilt had some fun at halftime against Georgia State on Sept. 20, trolling past foes Virginia Tech and South Carolina at FirstBank Stadium with 44-20 and 31-7, respectively. Drones lit up the sky to “Enter Sandman” and “Sandstorm,” forming a Vanderbilt flag, helmet, logos, and “Anchor Down.” But look how the tables have turned. Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama took its revenge after last season’s 40-35 loss. While Lea and Co. are still healing from the defeat, stand-up comedian Theo Von could not restrict himself from making fun of Vanderbilt’s halftime show.

On the October 6 episode of Kirk Herbstreit’s podcast, Von was invited as a guest. That’s where he shared his take on the Commodores’ halftime show. “Vanderbilt, their halftime show is mid, bro. At best. Their halftime show, they’re playing like Toto Africa. They’re playing like songs from the ’50s and stuff. I was like, ‘What is this?’” College GameDay landed in Tuscaloosa for Alabama vs. Vanderbilt, though fans questioned the choice; Miami vs. Florida State looked way more exciting. Von was the guest picker.

He has the fame and followers, but not the connections. Living once in Derek Mason’s old Vanderbilt house aside, he has little to link him to either Alabama or Vanderbilt. “You got to show them the way. I’m trying the halftime band together…They’re not. They’re playing stuff. They played a song called Pom like I’ve never even heard of it. I was like, trying to FaceTime my grandfather was like, ‘Have you heard any of this stuff?’ It was a lot of World War II-like return from the war music,” mocked Von.

While Von is more upset with the Commodores’ halftime show, Vanderbilt fans are still to get over the heartbreak that Lea’s boys dealt on the gridiron. Their expectations must have been touching the roof after their last year’s surprising victory. Cut to 2025, Vanderbilt sputtered to only 109 yards in the second half, including a mere nine rushing. 

Alabama capitalized on three turnovers, while Diego Pavia, last season’s star, threw for 188 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Alabama needed an immediate answer. With 1:33 left in the second, Pavia and Vanderbilt scored a go-ahead touchdown, threatening to send Alabama into halftime trailing. Ty Simpson flipped the game. Starting at his own 22 with no timeouts, he led a 78-yard, six-play drive, hitting Germie Bernard for a 27-yard TD with 22 seconds left in the half. Simpson went 5-of-5 for 80 yards and a score (minus a 2-yard sack), sparking 23 unanswered points as Alabama rolled to a 30-14 win. And in the midst of all, a Heisman Trophy winner got into a scuffle for supporting Vanderbilt.

Johnny Manziel returns, taking the Vanderbilt Commodores’ side to torment Alabama

That’s none other than Alabama’s age-old foe, Johnny Manziel, who handed the Crimson Tide one of its most painful upsets in 2012. Manziel happened to be on Team Vanderbilt. Alabama’s offense wasted no time, scoring on its first four drives to claim a 30-14 win. Yet the drama began long before kickoff, with Pavia teasing a post-game celebration before a single snap.

Well, there came a time when Vanderbilt had the upper hand. And Simpson, too, admitted it after the game. “You know, I’m looking at the stats. We had too many negative plays from, you know, holdings. I took four sacks. Like, I can’t do that. I got to throw the ball away. And just negative plays in general, right? I think that’s what kind of set us back,” said the Alabama quarterback. 

Coming back to the former Aggies quarterback, on behalf of the Commodores, Manziel, too, stirred up the crowd in Tuscaloosa. But how? Well, he has been rooting for the Vanderbilt No. 10 jersey. With minutes remaining, Manziel did the unthinkable, raising both middle fingers toward Alabama’s stands. The reaction was immediate: boos, curses, and a stadium ablaze with fury. He then broke the silence on how fans gave him a hard time during the Alabama vs. Vanderbilt face-off.

On the Night Cap podcast, the former Texas A&M quarterback said, “Those fans started to come down to that field area and rip me apart. There ain’t nothing you can say to me. I’m sitting here supporting my boy. By the way, I already did what I needed to do in this stadium. I already got something that’s at my grandma’s house for the rest of my life.” The dust has settled, but could Theo Von soon be on the receiving end of Commodore fans’ fury, just like Johnny Manziel tasted from the Commodores fans?