Football: Vanderbilt suffers first defeat of the season to Auburn, 21-15 – The Vanderbilt Hustler

Vanderbilt suffers first defeat of the season to Auburn, 21-15
Vanderbilt suffers first defeat of the season to Auburn, 21-15
Opportunity Vanderbilt tuition-free program expands to families with incomes of $200,000 or less
Football: Vanderbilt beats NC State 35-31 on last-second miracle
Raising Cane’s opens new location at 1819 Broadway
UPDATED: Muslim Student Association releases joint statement, condemns Vanderbilt TPUSA film screening event
Vanderbilt pauses CPT approvals for optional internships amid new federal guidelines
LAI: Vanderbilt’s housing mandate is too expensive for some students
MONT: Vanderbilt can’t be everywhere and Nashville all at once
Vanderbilt ranks No. 10 on Forbes list of top 2027 colleges, a one-spot improvement from 2026
Vanderbilt ranks No. 16 in 2027 U.S. News rankings, up one spot from last year
Revolutionary Communists of America increases presence on campus, not yet a registered organization
Vanderbilt Football (3-0) was back on the field on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, this time away from home at Jordan-Hare Stadium to face Auburn (2-1) in the Commodores’ first SEC game of the season. 
Clear skies, shining sun and a full stadium set up a just-about-perfect atmosphere for a college football game. The ’Dores, fresh off one of the most incredible last-second wins of all time over NC State, were on the road for the first time in 2026. 
Their hosts, the Auburn Tigers, had some immense support from the crowd despite a Week 2 loss to Florida in a high-scoring affair. Head coach Alex Golesh, coming from USF, brought over quarterback Byrum Brown and his top three receivers — Chas Nimrod, Keshaun Singleton and Jeremiah Koger — from the Bulls to play in blue and orange. 
Opposite Brown, it was Jared Curtis once again getting the nod to start in his first SEC game. Curtis put up an impressive stat line against the Wolfpack, throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns — and adding 64 yards on the ground. 
A beautiful rendition of the National Anthem was performed by Auburn’s student marching band, setting the stage for an exciting football game ahead. 
It was a slow start for both sides, though Auburn started to find its rhythm a few minutes into the second quarter, picking up a two-possession lead heading into halftime. Vanderbilt’s first drive of the second half was promising, but the offensive productivity was limited outside of that, resulting in the first loss of the season for the ’Dores — 21-15 at the hands of Auburn.
Brown threw a 33-yard touchdown to Nimrod late in the first quarter to gain the lead, one that he and the Tigers would not relinquish for the entirety of the game. He added another score on the ground in the third quarter to re-extend Auburn’s lead. Brock Taylor handled most of the scoring for the Commodores, though he did miss a field goal in the second quarter that would have made it a one-possession game heading into halftime.
Despite outgaining the Tigers in total yards, first downs, red zone points and possession time, this one just didn’t go the Commodores’ way. In what turned out to be a low-scoring game, it felt as though Vanderbilt stifled itself of any potential opportunities to emerge victorious. That could certainly be attributed to a comedy of errors from the special teams unit, as pointed out by head coach Clark Lea.
“There’s work to do in all three phases, but we [have] to strengthen our special teams play,” Lea said in the postgame press conference. “We’ve had the opportunity to experience explosive play from those units, and today, having a blocked punt for a touchdown for the second time the season, [and] a missed field goal that I believe was tipped; that’s not good enough. We’ve got to coach it better, and we have to create clarity for our players so that they can play with speed.”
And just as the weather and sunshine symbolized, Commodore Faithful’s moods went from light to dark by the end of the game. 
First Quarter 
Vanderbilt won the coin toss and elected to defer, setting up Auburn with the first possession of the game. A short run by Jeremiah Cobb and a pair of incompletions by Brown forced the Tigers to punt less than 30 seconds into the game. The Commodores followed this up with a quick three-and-out of their own despite a promising, six-yard completion from Curtis to Sedrick Alexander on first down. 
A short run by Cobb and a completion for no gain put Auburn in another third-down situation, where, this time, Miles Capers came down with an interception on a deflected pass from Brown. Vanderbilt regained possession at the 24-yard line but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity, settling for a 39-yard field goal from Taylor. 
Omar Mabson II gained five yards on a couple of carries before Brown ripped an 11-yard bullet to Nimrod down the middle of the field. Another completion from Brown to Jake Johnson led to a quick 20-yard rush by Mabson II, moving the Tigers into Vanderbilt territory. On 1st-and-10 with a clean pocket, Brown launched a 33-yard touchdown down the left side of the field right into the hands of Nimrod to give Auburn a 7-3 lead with 7:25 on the clock.
Curtis opened this set of downs with a quick screen to Ja’Cory Thomas for a seven-yard gain. Alexander lost a yard on his next carry, and Curtis couldn’t quite reach the line to gain on a third-down scramble. Tyler Ebel came back onto the field for his third punt of the game in less than 10 minutes. 
Brown kickstarted Auburn’s next drive with a 15-yard carry on a designed quarterback run, which was followed by a run for no gain, a two-yard catch and an incomplete pass. Shortly after regaining possession, the Tigers brought out Hudson Kaak to send the ball back to the ’Dores. 
Two unencouraging runs from Alexander put the Commodores in a 3rd-and-9 situation, but Curtis was able to improvise and reverse the field to scramble for the first down. With a fresh set of downs, the freshman quarterback delivered a smooth pass to Junior Sherrill for his first catch of the day and a 12-yard completion. Sherrill caught another ball on third down, but it wasn’t enough to move the chains, setting Vanderbilt up with a 4th-and-5 as the first quarter came to a close. 
Second Quarter 
Rather than punting the football back to Auburn, Ebel dropped back to pass for an attempted fake punt that ended in an intentional grounding penalty. With possession on Vanderbilt’s 45-yard line, the Tigers couldn’t manage to pick up more than a yard on three plays, forcing the punt team to return to the field once again. 
Curtis kept it himself for a five-yard gain on first down, followed by a short four-yard screen to Jamezell Lassiter. Alexander bulldozed through the defensive line to pick up the first down on a four-yard rush. Under pressure once more, Curtis used his legs to make something happen, gaining 11 yards and another fresh set of downs. Another screen from Curtis, this time to Sherrill, picked up five yards, but Alexander came up just short on 3rd-and-4. A false start left the Black and Gold with no choice but to punt the ball. 
The punt was blocked, however, and Cade Carlson recovered it and brought it into the end zone for an easy six points for the Tigers. The extra point from Alex McPherson brought the score to 14-3 with 8:56 remaining in the half. 
Vanderbilt’s offense finally showed signs of life with a 39-yard completion from Curtis to Sherrill to move into Auburn territory. Blaze Berlowitz then received two consecutive targets from Curtis, one of which was a screen for no gain and the second of which fell incomplete. Curtis got called for intentional grounding on third down, pushing the Commodores out of potential field goal range and forcing yet another punt. 
Two short runs from Bryson Washington left Auburn with a third down, but an easy 10-yard completion from Brown to Koger moved the sticks. After a couple of short gains, Wilson Zierer was called for a holding penalty and pushed the Auburn drive back 10 yards into a 3rd-and-15 situation. Arlis Boardingham was wrapped up well by Nick Rinaldi, forcing Kaak to punt for his fourth time in the game with 3:35 left to play in the quarter. 
Cole Adams caught his first pass of the game to start Vanderbilt’s next drive, gaining seven yards in the process. MK Young then powered up the middle for a six-yard gain before Curtis’ pass to Jayvontay Conner fell incomplete. Curtis used his legs once again to move the chains on 3rd-and-7 with an 11-yard scramble. 
On the first play out of the two-minute timeout, Curtis looked poised as ever in the pocket and escaped two pass rushers for a 17-yard scramble. He couldn’t pull off any magic on the next play, though, as Walter Mathis Jr. took him down for a 9-yard loss. On 3rd-and-19, after an incomplete pass to Joseph McVay, Curtis found Cole Spence for a 10-yard completion. Taylor couldn’t knock down his second field goal of the game — this one attempted from 48 yards out. 
With 53 seconds remaining on the clock, Auburn picked up possession at their own 38-yard line. Brown hit Christian Neptune on the left sideline for six yards before finding Singleton on the opposite side of the field for eight more. He used his legs to pick up the next first down, but a series of short completions left the Tigers with a 4th-and-5. 
McPherson came out to try a 61-yard field goal, but it fell short, leaving the score at 14-3 with a second left to go in the half. Curtis tossed up a prayer on the Hail Mary attempt, but it was picked off by Sylvester Smith-Reed, and the ’Dores sat down 11 heading into the break. 
Third Quarter 
The Commodores, who boast a 15-1 record in second halves since offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s hiring, came out of the locker room hoping to defend that reputation. It wasn’t such a promising start this time around, though, as Vanderbilt found itself with a 4th-and-1 scenario and opted to keep the offense on the field. Curtis bulldozed his way through a mass of linemen and made the line to gain. 
A couple of handoffs to Alexander, interwoven with receptions by Tristen Brown and Young, worked the ’Dores into enemy territory. On the second fourth down of the possession, Curtis kept it again and moved the chains. Thomas hauled in another pass on first down and picked up 13 yards after the catch. Young followed it up with an impressive catch-and-run of his own, gaining 12 yards and bringing Vanderbilt into the red zone. 
Young picked up another eight yards on a first-down carry, and a facemask call on Eric Winters brought the Commodores even closer to the goal line. Alexander ran it up the gut for a three-yard touchdown, but Curtis’ pass to the running back on the two-point conversion attempt sailed over his head. Auburn still led, but their advantage had shrunk to 14-9 with 7:07 left in the third quarter after a methodical Vanderbilt drive.
Brown opened the half for Auburn’s offense with a run up the middle for 12 yards, following it up with a 19-yard completion to Koger just two plays later. Cobb then ripped off his two longest runs of the day, going for 21 and seven yards on consecutive plays. CJ Heard was called for pass interference in the end zone, moving the Tigers into prime scoring position where Brown was able to capitalize with a two-yard touchdown run. McPherson’s extra point pushed Auburn’s lead to 12, with the score at 21-9 and 4:40 on the clock. 
After a touchback on the kickoff from Connor Gibbs, Young continued his productive day with an eight-yard rush and a couple more rushes to move the sticks. Curtis connected with Walter Taylor for the first time of the game for eight yards before Young added two more yards and another first down to his stat line on the day. 
A false start pushed the ’Dores back five yards, but a holding penalty on Rayshawn Pleasant and an offsides call on Chris Murray counteracted that and then some, giving Vanderbilt a fresh set of downs from the Auburn 43-yard line. Curtis evaded some pressure from Auburn’s defensive front to gain two yards and wrap up the third quarter. 
Fourth Quarter 
Adams had a costly drop to open the fourth quarter, setting up the Black and Gold with a 4th-and-4 and an absolutely rocking Auburn crowd. With “Stadium Pulse” at a near maximum, Curtis found his tight end Spence for an eight-yard completion and a first down. Young broke through the first set of tacklers on what appeared to be a potential long touchdown, but he was tripped up after picking up 12 yards. 
A loss of two yards on a screen to Thomas and a drop by Brown — as well as an illegal substitution penalty — pushed Vanderbilt back to 3rd-and-17. Curtis couldn’t find Adams on a deep throw down the middle of the field, but Taylor’s attempt from 47 yards out was straight through the uprights. Still, it was a nine-point deficit for the ’Dores, down 21-12 with 12:17 left to go. 
In dire need of some stout defense, the Commodores nearly turned the Tigers over with a dropped interception by Mason Lewis. Some solid tackling from Heard brought up fourth down for Auburn, and with Martel Hight back to receive the punt, it bounced out of bounds at Vanderbilt’s 21-yard line. 
Beau Johnson was called for a holding penalty on the opening play of the drive, but Curtis was able to overcome the poor field position with an eight-yard screen and a gorgeously floated 27-yard completion to Lassiter down the right sideline. Another penalty was called, this time in Vanderbilt’s favor, as Cody Sigler roughed the passer and moved the Commodores up to Auburn’s 38-yard line with the clock at 8:13. 
Curtis gained four yards on a quarterback keeper, followed by another seven yards on a short completion to Alexander. An incomplete deep ball to Sherrill and a scramble for no gain left the ’Dores in a 3rd-and-10 situation. Curtis couldn’t find a receiver, and Taylor was successful on a 45-yard attempt for his third field goal of the game. With 6:26 remaining in the game, Vanderbilt found itself down 21-15. 
Brown and Washington picked up two and three yards, respectively, on the first two downs of the drive. On 3rd-and-5, Brown crushed the hopeful spirits of Vanderbilt fans with a 20-yard strike down the middle to Singleton. A stacked box wasn’t enough for the ’Dores to stop Cobb on the next third down, and with 3:05 on the clock and falling, this one seemed to be all but over. 
The Black and Gold still had a timeout left, though, and Auburn wasn’t quite in field goal range. Cobb broke a carry to the left sideline for 24 yards, bringing the game to the two-minute timeout and just about sealing the Commodores’ fate. 
A series of kneels from Brown ticked the clock down to double zeroes, and Vanderbilt picked up its first loss of the season. Curtis had another strong performance, finishing with 199 pass yards on a 67% completion percentage. Sherrill was the go-to option through the air, racking up 95 yards on his six receptions. Young led the ’Dores in rushing, totaling 46 yards on 10 carries along with 21 yards through the air. Lea was especially impressed with Young’s performance.
“I really loved the way MK [Young] ran the ball,” Lea said. “I thought he was fine in space, [and] he was fine in tough yards. He [was] a shoestring away from breaking his last carry. We [have] to find the positive in it, and we [have] to learn from the negative parts, and we [have] to keep growing this team.”
The Commodores will look to pull off an upset on the road and get back in the win column against No. 2 Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 3. 
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *

Enter the destination URL
Or link to existing content

source