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Vanderbilt Football took down Auburn, 45-38, in overtime on Saturday, Nov. 8, to improve to 8-2 on the season. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had an extremely impressive day, throwing for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory to keep the Commodores’ hopes of going to the College Football Playoff alive. Star tight end Eli Stowers also racked up 122 receiving yards on 12 catches to lead the Commodores and secure yet another victory for Vanderbilt.
“I’m not surprised by anything [Pavia does],” head coach Clark Lea said postgame. “When the ball is in his hands, we have a chance. [We have] this confidence that when he’s back there and we get the ball to him, we’re going to win.”
The Commodores had a sluggish start in the first half, going down 17-3 in the second quarter. Vanderbilt’s defense struggled immensely to contain Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels through the first 30 minutes, but Pavia’s late heroics in the second half were enough to get by the Tigers. Vanderbilt’s defense let up a season-high 38 points but ultimately held strong in overtime to lock up the victory.
“[That] certainly wasn’t what I expected [and] I’m just really proud of our team,” Lea said. “We’re finding different ways to win games.”
First quarter
Auburn won the toss and elected to defer, giving Vanderbilt and Pavia the ball first. It didn’t take long for the graduate quarterback to find Tre Richardson on the edge for a pickup of 24 yards to advance into Auburn territory. The Commodores couldn’t find the momentum to strike first, though, failing on two middle runs before a pass for lost yardage forced them to punt the ball away at the 11:15 mark.
The Tigers began their first drive on the 10-yard line, and Daniels found receiver Perry Thompson on the edge for a quick 8-yard gain. After a holding call backed Auburn up into a 3rd-and-18 situation, Daniels found Malcolm Simmons for a 39-yard gain to get to Vanderbilt’s 37-yard line. The Tigers earned two more first downs after Daniels effectively used his legs to churn out chunk yardage. Daniels eventually found Eric Singleton in the end zone on a 14-yard reception, giving Auburn the early 7-0 lead with 5:45 to go in the first quarter.
Pavia kicked off Vanderbilt’s next drive with a 12-yard completion to Richie Hoskins on the edge. It didn’t take long for the Commodores to push into Auburn territory, as tight end Eli Stowers caught a screen for a gain of 11 yards and a first down. Vanderbilt then established the running game through its running backs, with Sedrick Alexander and AJ Newbery picking up two back-to-back first downs to get into the redzone.
Pavia picked up eight yards on second down before Stowers earned the first down on a shovel pass. Alexander ran out the clock on the quarter, taking the ball down to the 6-yard line as the first 15 minutes came to an end.
Second quarter
Several unsuccessful quarterback runs by Pavia set up fourth down for Vanderbilt at the 6-yard-line. Lea opted to kick the field goal, and Brock Taylor nailed the 23-yarder to shrink Auburn’s lead to 7-3 with 13:30 to go in the half.
Daniels immediately went to work on Auburn’s next drive, finding Singleton for an easy 17-yard pickup to start things off. Completions to Jeremiah Cobb and Cam Coleman set up the Tigers in the red zone, as Vanderbilt’s defense struggled to keep up. Daniels then pranced into the end zone on the 16-yard quarterback keeper to give the Tigers the 14-3 lead with 10:44 left in the half.
Vanderbilt found some early momentum to begin its drive, finding Jamezell Lassiter for a 14-yard gain on the left side to get inside Auburn territory. MK Young then took a carry but fumbled the ball at the Auburn 36-yard line with 6:05 left to end Vanderbilt’s hopes of scoring.
Daniels and Co. made quick work with the ball back, as Cobb burst through for runs of 11 and 23 yards to get to Vanderbilt’s 20-yard line. The Tigers were unable to reach the end zone, though, forcing them to settle for a field goal attempt that Alex McPherson knocked in from 26 yards with 1:52 to go in the half to give Auburn the 17-3 lead.
Vanderbilt’s next drive only took three plays, as Vanderbilt had two huge explosive plays. A 43-yard reception from Pavia to receiver Tre Richardson put Vanderbilt in the red zone, before Junior Sherrill caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-10 with 1:20 remaining in the half.
Vanderbilt went into prevent defense mode as Auburn took back the football. It was not that successful to begin, as Cobb once again found space with an 18-yard burst to begin the drive. A fortunate holding call for Vanderbilt — which would’ve gone for a touchdown — backed the Tigers up, but they were still able to capitalize on their momentum as Coleman had back-to-back receptions. Auburn then lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt, which McPherson nailed to bring the score to 20-10 as the half ended.
Third quarter
Auburn received the kickoff to begin the second half but was forced into a three-and-out as Vanderbilt’s defense held strong to begin the half. After the punt, Pavia immediately got things started with a 29-yard completion to Stowers to advance into Auburn territory. Another catch by Stowers put Vanderbilt in the red zone, before Pavia scrambled to the 4-yard line. Alexander eventually rammed it into the end zone, bringing the score to 20-17 with 11:24 left in the quarter.
A big 32-yard catch to Coleman — initially ruled incomplete but overturned — kickstarted the Tigers’ offense. A few unsuccessful plays in Vanderbilt’s territory forced them to kick a field goal, which McPherson once again converted to make it a 23-16 game in favor of Auburn with 9:15 left in the quarter.
Pavia got the ball back and certainly made the most of it. On first down at Vanderbilt’s own 43-yard line, the graduate quarterback found a wide-open Richardson streaking down the left sideline. He caught the ball for a 57-yard touchdown reception which gave the Commodores their first lead of the day, 24-23, with 7:37 to go in the third.
After picking up two first downs on the next drive, Vanderbilt’s defense forced the Tigers into a fourth down near midfield. They punted it away, but Pavia and Co. went three-and-out on the ensuing possession after Sherrill dropped a pass.
Cobb proceeded to make progress on the ground after the punt, breaking off an 11-yard rush to get the Tigers started. A big reception to Coleman put them well inside Vanderbilt territory, before Daniels pranced into the end zone on the left side with 1:11 to give Auburn a 6-point lead at 30-24 with 1:11 to go in the quarter.
After the kickoff, Pavia scrambled for a 28-yard gain to get inside Tiger territory. A pass interference penalty on Auburn and a pickup of 21 by Sherrill put the Commodores in the redzone once again as the third quarter came to a close.
Fourth quarter
Pavia ran into the end zone to start the fourth quarter, bringing Vanderbilt’s lead to 31-30 at the 14:07 mark. The Commodores forced a three-and-out on Auburn’s next possession, as the Tigers punted it away for the third time that day.
Despite getting sacked on the second play of the drive, Pavia found Alexander on the shovel pass to get a first down. Completions to Sherrill and Stowers set the Commodores up in the redzone once again, and Alexander caught the pitch from Pavia on the 9-yard line and ran for the pylon. He got the ball over the plane, giving Vanderbilt the 38-30 lead with 7:57 to go in the game.
Auburn wasn’t done just yet, though. It responded with a clinical 75-yard touchdown drive capped off with a 23-yard Coleman touchdown reception. The Tigers went for two and tied the game up at 38-apiece with 5:27 remaining in the game.
Pavia then received the ball in perhaps Vanderbilt’s biggest drive of the season. It began with a completion to Stowers before Pavia was stuffed on third down a yard short of a first down. With the game hanging in the balance, offensive coordinator Tim Beck decided to go for it on fourth down from their own 34-yard line. Pavia converted on the keeper, as Vanderbilt then advanced into Tiger territory after a facemask call.
Several unsuccessful runs set up a game-defining fourth down attempt for Vanderbilt. Pavia failed to convert, giving Auburn the ball back with 1:12. The Tigers put forth a hail mary effort that inevitably came up short, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime
Auburn won the overtime toss, forcing Vanderbilt’s offense to take the field first. After an initial incompletion to Stowers, Pavia found Sherrill for a 21-yard gain. A pitch to Spence in the end zone gave the Commodores the first touchdown in overtime and a 45-38 lead.
Auburn began its offensive drive with an incompletion before Cobb rushed for a first down. Vanderbilt earned three consecutive stops to set up a fourth down with the game on the line. Daniels tried to hit Coleman in the end zone, but he was double covered and the Commodores knocked the ball away. Vanderbilt escaped with a win, 45-38, to improve to 8-2 on the season.
The Commodores now have a bye week before taking on Kentucky in FirstBank Stadium on Nov. 22.
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