Nashville, TN – After much extra effort to find a seat in packed First Bank Stadium, we sat down as Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter exploded on the Tigers’ second play from scrimmage for a 67-yard touchdown jaunt. Before the first period ended, he did it again for Auburn with a 56-yard sprint to go up, 14-0. After that, the Auburn Tiger defense dominated Vanderbilt until late in the game to rack up a 31-15 SEC victory.
A season full of Dropsies
The final result could have ended in a much wider margin had AU receivers not dropped so many passes. Among the 18 college games attended by collegefootballfan.com this season, we don’t remember ever seeing so many well thrown passes dropped in one season. This day’s performance by Auburn definitely topped them all. The performance by Hunter and the defense that allowed only 90 yards until the 44-yard Commodore scoring drive late in the third sealed the win for Auburn.
In the second period, Auburn QB Payton Thorne threw an ill-advised pass into the right flat from his end zone. Commodore LB Bryce Cowan stepped in front of the intended receiver to score from the five. With 20 seconds left in the half, Alex McPherson’s 32-yard FG gave the Tigers a 17-7 halftime lead.
Auburn fans overwhelmed Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt celebrated both Senior Day and its annual homecoming. The official attendance announced was 28,500 in the 40-000-seat stadium, but that was hard to believe. Primarily, orange and blue Auburn fans packed the venue currently under construction. Some of my Auburn friends that came to tailgate couldn’t find tickets, or they found the prices so high due to the demand, it wasn’t worth attending. However, they came and tailgated and enjoyed their day in the Music City. Some Vanderbilt alum after the game mentioned that the only empty seats were in the Commodore student section.
Vanderbilt University did a poor job in preparation for a sold-out crowd no matter what the “official attendance” supposedly was. Granted, construction reduced the number of parking spaces available for the game forcing fans to buy prepaid parking until those ran out. Only two entrances opened to let fans into the stadium. No adequate signage provided fans directions of where or to how to easily find their respective sections to sit in. Only one entrance existed for each side of the stadium. The visitors side went through the basketball arena, but no one knew till it took about half an hour in one of two single file lines in different directions searching for them. Many, like myself, basically encircled the entire stadium.
The Spirit of Vanderbilt
It was the last home game for Vanderbilt this year. One of the ushers somewhere along the way said it will be better next year. A school of such high academic standards should have prepared much better for this being the last game of the season looking to celebrate homecoming against a team with a fan base not too far away. They host Bama, Tennessee, and Texas next season – one team with a rabid road following, a rival living literally in the Nashville neighborhood, and a new conference foe with a ton of Country and Western music fans. No need to hold seats available for Vandy students. They seem to care less about rallying around their perennial, struggling football team.
Auburn takes to the air
Auburn started up the third period with a passing attack. On the third play of the opening drive, Thorne (17 of 24, 194 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) connected with TE Rivaldo Fairweather on a pass and run TD for 53 yards and a 24-7 lead. I felt better after Tony, an Auburn fan I sat with from Huntsville, Alabama had asked me what I predicted in the first half. I told him I expected a “blow-out” by Auburn. One of the other AU fans sitting nearby was surprised. He asked, “Have you seen us play before?’ Well not this year any way. I replied, “No but I’ve seen Vanderbilt play this year.”
I figured the Tigers had to be better because Vandy just doesn’t seem to belong year after year in the SEC. Auburn had to be improved. However, Dave Duerk, an Auburn classmate of my Auburn friends Charlie and Lynda Murren, who was among the tailgaters before the game, provided me a glimmer of reality. He said the last two times he was in Nashville for this game, Vanderbilt won. For the benefit of his Alma mater, he sat this game out.
Commodore comeback?
Well after that score, the Tigers roared again. Thorne finished a 64-yard drive with a five-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Cobb. My prediction looked to become reality – Not! The Commodores forced the Tigers to punt on its next series and took over at the AU 44. Vanderbilt scored its first and only TD of the game when Ken Seals connected with Junior Sherrill for a 30-yard TD pass. To play catch-up, Sherrill took it over for a two-point conversion. With 2:43 left in the third, it looked like there was plenty of time left for Auburn to add to their 31-15 lead.
Over in Three
Auburn punted after it next possession. Vanderbilt countered with a drive over nine minutes when it turned the ball back over on downs at AU’s 14. Following another Auburn punt and another Vandy turnover on downs, the final score stood at 31-15. With its fifth win of the year, our toast among the Auburn faithful at our pregame tailgate to start the drive to bowl eligibility became reality.
Next!
The Tigers (5-4, 2-4) head to Arkansas next week and then host New Mexico State to claim a bowl bid before Alabama visits Jordan-Hare Stadium to spring an upset on their archrival. Vanderbilt (2-8,0-6) heads to play South Carolina (3-6, 1-5) before playing No. 14 Tennessee (7-2, 3-2). Collegefootballfan.com heads to our biggest clash of the season when No. 2 Michigan (9-0, 6-0) visits No. 9 Penn State (8-1, 5-1) in fired-up Beaver Stadium for a noon time kick-off!
