The Auburn Tigers lost to Vanderbilt at home, 17-7.

AUBURN, AL (WSFA) – The Auburn Tigers hosted the Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon, keeping the game low until late in the final quarter as Vandy pulled away to win 17-7.

Auburn had the ball first, but neither team’s offense was able to get the ball back for most of the first half. Each of the first five drives of the first quarter ended with the punt team taking the field before Vanderbilt was finally able to draw first blood.

A 28-yard pass from Diego Pavia to AJ Newberry put the Commodores in the end zone and up 7-0 with 50 seconds left.

The Tigers tried to respond, sending the ball down the field to Vandy’s 35 and then turning it over on downs after an incomplete 4th down pass from Thorne to Cam Coleman a minute into the second quarter. The Tigers’ defense then held Vanderbilt to 5 yards on its first possession of the second quarter and then engineered the game-winning drive that took 6 minutes off the clock.

On 4th-and-2, Thorne threw a short pass to Malcolm Simmons for a 21-yard gain and a much-needed first down at the Vandy 30. On the next play, Rivaldo Fairweather got the Tigers into the end zone and on the board to tie the game with just under seven minutes remaining in the half.

The inning came to an end on what had started out as a promising ride for the Tigers. Thorne made three completions, putting the Tigers ahead at the Vandy 40 with just over 30 seconds left in the half. The progress was derailed by a penalty and then a quarterback sack.

The Tigers elected to let the final 30 seconds play out before heading into the locker room tied 7-7.

SECOND HALF

The second half began with the Vanderbilt offense unable to get out of its own territory before opting for a 59-yard punt. Auburn’s Malcolm Simmons then returned the ball for a 17-yard gain to the Tigers’ 28.

The Tigers’ offense had Harkes Hunter rush for 8 yards and then a pair of Thorne passes to Lambert-Smith for 22 and 10 yards to send the Tigers deep into Vanderbilt territory. However, the goal fell short when the Tigers’ 44-yard field goal attempt on 4th-and-4 failed.

Vandy would get the ball back and hold it for 5 minutes, getting to the Auburn 44 before having to punt it back. Auburn’s next drive would also end on its own 59-yard punt.

The Tigers quickly celebrated what they believed was the return of a Vanderbilt fumble at the Tigers’ 13, but the on-field call was overturned and the Commodores proceeded to kick a field goal to take the lead again. 10-7.

Payton Thorne and the Auburn offense began the 4th quarter trying to gain control of the game. Thorne’s pass to Simmons gained 12 yards, but then Simmons lost 10 yards on the next play. The Tigers’ offense ultimately ended with a 4th-and-16 punt from the 36.

With only a 3-point lead, the Commodores ran out the clock, holding possession on their next drive for nearly 9 minutes. The trip proved fruitful with Auburn’s help.

With 5:18 left in the game, with Vandy sitting on fourth down, kicker Brock Taylor sent the ball between the uprights to go up another three points, 13-7. However, the score was quickly restored, giving the Commodores another chance to get a bite of the apple thanks to an automatic first down caused by a personal foul against Auburn.

The Tigers’ penalty would prove devastating.

Instead of working to overcome Vandy’s manageable one-score 13-7 lead, the touchdown put Auburn behind 17-7 with just over 4 minutes left in the game. The Tigers never recovered.

Thorne and company worked to move the ball over the next two minutes, getting to the Vandy 34 before selecting Towns McGough’s 4th-and-4 field goal attempts that went wide.

Auburn had another attempt to cut the deficit, but Thorne’s pass to Fairweather resulted in a miss that Vanderbilt recovered with 1:41 to play, essentially deciding the game.

The Auburn loss dropped the Tigers to 3–6. Vanderbilt improved to 6-3 in what has been a surprisingly successful season. He is bowl eligible and now has wins over Alabama and Auburn in the same season for the first time since 1955.

The Tigers head into the week off before focusing on home games against ULM and then Texas A&M.

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