A game that was anticipated by many to be close and a fight until the end certainly followed that theme, but at the end of the day, the Auburn Tigers ended a 672-day streak since their last SEC win, taking down the Vanderbilt Commodores 21-15.
The Tigers have now improved to a 3-1 record and a 1-1 result in SEC play prior to a tough month of October that lies ahead with three road trips on the docket.
Auburn benefitted from a few Vanderbilt special teams blunders, stopping a fake punt pass, blocking a punt and recovering it for a touchdown and forcing a missed field goal near the end of the first half to keep a two-possession lead.
The Tigers will turn their attention to the Tennessee Volunteers. Before the book closes on this SEC showdown though, here are five defining traits that led to the Auburn win on Saturday.
Defense redeems itself, in a way
The Tigers defense, after giving 44 points to the Florida Gators, showed up with a little more of a stout effort on Saturday, giving up less than 20 to the Commodores. While Vanderbilt controlled possession for much of the game, the Auburn defense limited big plays from freshman quarterback Jared Curtis and forced the Commodores into sticky situations.
Vanderbilt was forced to kick two field goals on drives where it was moving the ball easily, keeping the Tigers lead at multiple possessions for a large part of the game. It helped DJ Durkin’s unit have a much-needed bounce back performance.
Special teams impact
The impact of the special teams played a big role in how this game was shaped in the first half. At halftime, Auburn held a 14-3 thanks to three big plays on punts and kicks.
The Commodores tried to pass on a fake punt pass in the first half which was incomplete and gave the ball back to the Tigers. Shortly after, Auburn blocked a punt, which Cade Carlson recovered and ran in for a touchdown, making it a 14-3 game. Near the end of the half, Vanderbilt missed a field goal within Brock Taylor’s range, making it three miscues on special teams for the Commodores that could have changed the momentum of the game.
Critical down performance
The play on critical downs was still a little subject, but the Tigers managed to get off the field a number of times unlike in the loss to Florida. Vanderbilt went 4-for-17 on third downs, forcing a number of punts and field goal tries.
In the second half, this was especially critical, as the Commodores could have gone for a first down in Auburn territory to get closer to a score, but chose to attempt field goals instead. On the flip side though, Vanderbilt was greater than 50 percent on fourth downs, something the Tigers defense will need to continue to clean up, especially with October on the horizon.
Chas Nimrod coming up big
While there was no receiver that came out with an overwhelming performance for Auburn on the night, Chas Nimrod certainly made a statement. The USF transfer, who has had previous experience against the Commodores on a number of occasions, secured five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown, one that came at a huge point in the first half to give the Tigers a lead in the first half.
Running the ball continuing to struggle
While the win was a nice touch, the rushing game continued to struggle for the Tigers. The offense churned out just 139 yards on the ground, with Jeremiah Cobb being the leading rusher with 58 yards. The 139 yards accounted for roughly half of the 279 yards of offense, making for a lackluster offensive performance overall.
With a tough October stretch to come, the rushing identity that Auburn wanted to establish has to come quickly if success is to be the result.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
