The Auburn Tigers picked up a big SEC victory Saturday, defeating Vanderbilt 21-15 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn bounced back from last week’s loss to Florida and improved to 3-1 on the season. Vanderbilt entered the game undefeated at 3-0 but could not make enough plays late to keep its perfect record alive.
Auburn Makes the Plays
The Tigers did not dominate statistically, but they made several important plays that changed the game.
Vanderbilt actually finished with 311 yards compared to Auburn’s 279 and controlled the clock for more than 37 minutes. Auburn’s defense still managed to keep the Commodores out of the end zone for long stretches.
One of Auburn’s biggest plays came on special teams when the Tigers blocked a Vanderbilt punt and returned it for a touchdown.
Vanderbilt Can’t Finish
Vanderbilt had several opportunities to take control but struggled with mistakes.
The Commodores turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory, missed a field goal and committed several untimely penalties.
Quarterback Jared Curtis also had several opportunities to make big plays down the field, but Vanderbilt could not consistently capitalize.
Auburn took advantage and kept the Commodores from completing another comeback.
A Big SEC Win for Auburn
The victory moves Auburn to 3-1 overall and gives the Tigers their first SEC win of the season.
After losing a 44-39 shootout against Florida last week, Auburn needed to respond against an undefeated Vanderbilt team.
The Tigers did just that.
Auburn now turns its attention toward another difficult SEC matchup next week when it travels to Tennessee.
For Vanderbilt, the loss drops the Commodores to 3-1 after an impressive start to the season.
Auburn found a way to make the critical plays when it mattered and came away with a 21-15 victory.
