AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn football hosted the Vanderbilt Commodores this week, looking to build momentum following a win over Kentucky the week prior. Unfortunately, the Tigers were able to do no such thing and lost 17-7 in a true disaster of a performance.
The first quarter set the tone for the Auburn offense, as the Tigers punted three times and turned it over on downs. The Auburn offense could move the ball, but was completely unable to convert on third down. The Tigers finally broke through in the second quarter, as Payton Thorne found Rivaldo Fairweather for a 30 yard touchdown following an excellent stretching effort by the tight end.
However, the offense immediately shifted back into neutral, punting once more and then taking the game quietly into the half. At the half, the Tigers’ offense was averaging 6.1 yards per play, yet was 0-7 on third down. The Commodore defense continued to bow up on key plays, and the Auburn offense consistently had no answer for it.
Despite the ineptitude of the offense, the Auburn defense kept the Tigers in the game. Vandy only mustered one score in the first half, a 28-yard touchdown reception by running back AJ Newberry with under a minute left in the first quarter. Outside of that 81-yard drive, though, the Commodores gained just 35 yards in the first half on five other drives. Jay Crawford was a key player for Auburn, breaking up multiple attempted deep shots by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.
The two stout defenses continued to trade blows until late in the third quarter, when a 39-yard punt return by Vanderbilt corner Martel Hight set the Commodores up at the Auburn 21-yard line. The Auburn defense was able to make the stop, but Vandy still added three points via a Brock Taylor field goal from 31 yards out to take a 10-7 lead.
Auburn took the ball next, and was able to do absolutely nothing once again on a drive that spanned the third quarter break. Then, on its first drive of the quarter, Vanderbilt drove 78 yards on 14 plays for a touchdown, capping off the drive with a four-yard touchdown catch by star tight end Eli Stowers to extend the lead to 17-7. That would be it for the scoring, as Vandy committed to running clock and the Auburn offense remained listless.
The game felt like a major step back for the Tigers following a Kentucky matchup in which the offense ran all over the field. After a career-high 23 carries last week, Jarquez Hunter carried the ball just 12 times, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. After the game, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze addressed the change in the offense.
“I don’t think he [Hunter] was banged up,” Freeze said. “He just looked gassed to me”
Unfortunately, that was something that the Auburn offense could not afford. The Tigers had to become more reliant on the passing game, something that hasn’t been a strength of theirs all season. Payton Thorne did throw for 239 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions, but the Auburn offense couldn’t seem to find a way to turn those yards into third down conversions or consistent drives. Auburn finished the day 2-13 on third down, a paltry 15% conversion rate.
“We’re just not able to finish,” Freeze said, “whether it’s finishing drives with points or not converting third downs.”
The stats certainly back up that inability to finish, as the Auburn offense scored just 7 points despite having a first-and-10 inside the Vanderbilt 40-yard like on four separate drives. The game was also the first time Auburn lost a game in which it held its opponent under 250 yards since 2015 vs Georgia.
The loss, Auburn’s first ever to Vandy in Jordan-Hare Stadium, leaves the Tigers in a very difficult spot for the rest of the season. Auburn must now win out to become bowl eligible, and with No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 14 Alabama still on the schedule that is a very daunting prospect. That, combined with the current frustrating nature of the offense, might have many of the Auburn faithful more than ready for the start of basketball season this week.
