Improved Auburn offense falls to No. 16 Vanderbilt in 38-45 OT shootout

NASHVILLE, TN. (WSFA) - With DJ Durkin at the helm of the Tigers and Ashton Daniels leading the charge from center, Auburn (4-5, 1-5 SEC) looked to secure a key win against No. 16 Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2 SEC) that would put them on the road to a potential bowl game.

The Tigers fell 10-3 to Kentucky last weekend, firing Hugh Freeze the following day, while Vanderbilt lost 34-31 at Texas.

A high-scoring offensive shootout between the Commodores and an uncharacteristically fierce Auburn offense ended on a critical endzone drive in overtime that lifted Vanderbilt over Auburn for a 45-38 victory.

The Tigers’ offense moved more efficiently than it had in weeks, scoring on four consecutive drives in the first half, temporarily stalling in the early third quarter, and then finding their momentum again on a fourth-quarter touchdown to send the game into overtime.

Ashton Daniels, who made his second start as quarterback this season, threw for 353 passing yards, completed 31 of his 44 passes, and accounted for two touchdowns, including a critical rushing touchdown in the late-third quarter to keep the Tigers alive as they trailed.

Cam Coleman, who made two one-handed catches from inside the endzone, led the game in receiving yards, and Alex McPherson’s field goals accounted for 12 of the Tigers’ 38 points.

Game Recap

The Tigers’ offense went to work out of the gate, securing a 7-0 lead on their opening drive with a 14-yard pass by Ashton Daniels to Eric Singleton Jr. into the endzone.

A slow drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock ended with a field goal for Vanderbilt to get some points onto the board at the start of a high-scoring second quarter, (7-3).

Both teams traded blows on successful drives; first with a 12-yard scoring rush by Daniels, then a fumble recovery by Auburn’s Dallas Walker that got them into the redzone. The drive stalled however, forcing the Tigers to settle for a field goal, (17-3).

After a deep pass by Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia into the endzone put the Commodores within striking distance of Auburn, a 47-yard field goal by Alex McPherson sent Auburn into halftime with a 20-10 lead.

The Tigers’ offense began to struggle in the second half, which began with them being forced to a quick 3-and-out drive by Vanderbilt to open the third quarter.

After Vanderbilt closed the lead with a 4-yard redzone rush (20-17), McPherson gave Auburn’s offense a bit more room to work with a 38-yard field goal (23-17).

Auburn maintained the lead despite not finding the endzone on four possessions. That changed however, with a 75-yard drive that got Vanderbilt into the endzone to take the lead for the first time, (24-23).

Ashton Daniels then rushed for 16 yards into the endzone, keeping Auburn alive at the end of the third quarter by giving the Tigers back the lead 30-24.

A shotgun rush for seven yards by Diego Pavia started a tug-of-war halfway through the fourth quarter that led both teams to 38 points with 1:06 left on the clock.

After Auburn failed to score on their final drive, the game entered overtime where a fake handoff by Pavia set up a 4-yard pass to seal the game for Vanderbilt (45-38).

Takeaways

Although Auburn’s offense showed significant improvement against the commodores, the defense notably struggled at key points, allowing QB Diego Pavia to slip through on several shotgun drives for 1st down conversions. They finished with a season-high 544 yards of offense. But they also were flagged 12 times for 91 yards.

Up Next

The Tigers have just two games left in the regular season. They’ll have a bye-week before hosting Mercer at Jordan on Nov. 22. Then, they’ll meet No. 4 Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29.

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