Another game at Jordan-Hare Stadium is on the horizon to end the month of September as the Auburn Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday afternoon.
Auburn is seeking to bounce back from a loss to improve to 3-1 and 1-1 in conference play, while Vanderbilt wants to maintain its undefeated record and go to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in SEC competition.
The Tigers and Commodores have faced each other each of the last three seasons leading up to this, with Vanderbilt and Clark Lea emerging victorious in the last two. The most recent meeting in the series was DJ Durkin’s first game as the interim head coach of Auburn in Nashville, one the Commodores won 45-38 in overtime.
In that game, Tigers quarterback threw 31-for-44 with 353 yards and two touchdowns, while Jeremiah Cobb tallied 16 carries for 115 yards on the ground to give the team one of its best offensive performances of the season.
Set to be a crucial game for both sides, Auburn and Vanderbilt are each looking to make a statement once the ball is kicked.
With the game less than 24 hours away, here are a couple of keys to victory for both sides when the SEC foes show down.
Auburn Tigers:
Secure tackles on first contact
Against Florida last week, the Tigers missed 24 tackles on the night, a number of which were on critical downs. On one particular instance at the beginning of the second quarter, a third-and-goal from the 20-yard line turned into a touchdown run for the Gators to put them in front 14-3.
This week, the tackling miscues must end. With as critical of a game as this is for Auburn, Durkin’s defense cannot afford to stay out there longer than it has to. Getting as much rest as possible will allow the unit to perform better, while making those tackles provides more energy to the team as a whole. Nonetheless, this is a non-negotiable to win.
Get the run game working
Through the first three games, Jeremiah Cobb is 18th in the SEC in rushing yards, and 14th among running backs. He is not the only one running the football, but Alex Golesh is certainly not where he wants to be with his team’s ground attack.
Cobb was only able to put up 33 yards on the ground in last week’s loss, marking his lowest total since the Iron Bowl in 2025. Wanting him to get more carries and get the offense more diversified, Offensive Coordinator Joel Gordon needs to get the run game going if he wants to keep this Commodores defense on its toes.
Vanderbilt Commodores:
Convert on critical downs
The Tigers gave up seven third downs and three fourth downs in their loss last week, and it is safe to say that if they had stopped half of them, the game might have looked a little different.
Under Durkin, Auburn has struggled on third and fourth downs, which is something Vanderbilt will almost surely look to take advantage of. With that being a weak spot currently, the Commodores still need to play safe on those downs, but can afford to be a little risky. They have the athletes to get conversions, and doing so will dampen any momentum for the Tigers at least temporarily.
Make sure your quarterback is comfortable
Vanderbilt is starting true freshman Jared Curtis on Saturday for the second game in a row after he led his team to a victory against North Carolina State. However, this game is different, as it is the first road start in the young signal caller’s college career; it is a tough one as well.
With the performance that an inexperienced Aaron Philo put on last week, anything the Commodores can do to make Curtis comfortable will be a win. Allowing time in the pocket from the jump will be as much a win as anything, as he will be able to make sound decisions. If he does that, the Vanderbilt offense will be able to move at will.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
