NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Auburn Tigers (5-4, 2-4 SEC) traveled up to Broadway to face the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-8, 0-6 SEC) this past Saturday, November 4th. A sea of orange engulfed FirstBank Stadium, helping the Tigers roll past the Commadores 31-15 leading to the first SEC road win of Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze's tenure on The Plains.
"It did not feel like we were in a typical road game. Our fans were incredible," Freeze said. "It's been a long time since Auburn played well up here. Our kids competed well and did some really nice things. I'm proud of our defense.”
Auburn’s defense would not let up a score until 2:43 left in the third quarter. On the contrary, Auburn’s offense was thrown into fifth gear quickly as Jarquez Hunter had a 67-yard run and a 56-yard run that got the Tigers a 14-0 lead into the second quarter.
Hunter carried the rock throughout the game and ended the night with 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns, 121 yards of which came in the first quarter, the most by an Auburn back since Tre Mason back in 2012.
"Being patient has helped me a lot," said Hunter. "The offensive line did a marvelous job today. They made their reads and opened holes for me; I just had to hit them."
"That's as patient as I've seen him on inside zone," Freeze said. "I do think that's why he's having more explosive runs the last few weeks."
The second quarter was not the continuation of first quarter success the Tigers had hoped for as a quick throw from Payton Throne led to an interception that was walked back into the endzone by Bryce Cowan.
Despite the setback, Throne would go on to have a great game ending with 194 yards passing with two touchdowns and a QBR of 140.4.
“I felt like we touched a lot of different areas of the pass game today,” said Throne. “The passing game got going pretty good.”
All of this played in front of a packed house of Auburn fans decked out in orange as the Tigers conquered Broadway to grab their fifth win of the season.
"We have the best fans," said freshman center Connor Lew. "I don't think anybody can doubt that them being here definitely helped us in a lot of aspects of the game."
Auburn will look to carry the momentum against the Arkansas Razorbacks this Saturday, November 11th, at 3:00 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. The Tigers look to not only close out the road side of there season but also become bowl eligible.
