The Auburn Tigers return home on Saturday when they host the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Tigers snapped their four-game losing streak in week nine by defeating Kentucky on the road 24-10. The Tigers spent the entire month of October on the road after opening with five consecutive home games. Jordan-Hare Stadium has not brought good fortune though. Auburn is 2-3 at home this season and is playing a confident Vanderbilt team at 5-3. The Tigers are 3-5 and need to continue last week’s momentum if there is any hope of a bowl game.
Auburn Tigers Return Home
Run Jarquez Hunter
What has been a common complaint of the Auburn offense this season? Outside of the turnover issues, it has been an inconsistent effort to get Jarquez Hunter the ball. Hunter is one of the best running backs in the SEC and was voted First Team All-SEC at SEC Media Days in July. On Saturday against the Wildcats, he rushed for 278 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns added. The offensive line created space for Hunter as he averaged 12.1 yards per carry. It was a carry high in yardage and the first time for Hunter to go over 200 yards.
The success of the run game will make the job of quarterback Payton Thorne much easier. Thorne is not one of those quarterbacks that will be the difference in a game, but with Hunter playing well he can play the role of game manager. Vanderbilt ranks ninth in the SEC, giving up 114.8 yards per game on the ground. The Commodores do allow 224.3 yards per game through the air. Auburn using play-action if Hunter is playing well could open up big plays for receivers KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Cam Coleman, and Malcolm Simmons.
A Familiar Foe
Auburn defeated Vanderbilt last season 31-15 in Nashville with Hunter rushing for two touchdowns early. That was a bad Commodore team that ended the season 2-10 and were winless in the SEC. That is not this Vanderbilt team. This team is a 5-3 team that is 2-2 in the SEC with a win over Alabama. Vanderbilt also had close losses to Missouri in overtime and was an onside kick away from potentially upsetting Texas.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is one of the best stories this season in college football. He has shown the difference a quarterback can make in a program. He has thrown 1,534 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, completing 64.5% of his passes. Pavia also leads the team in rushing with 537 yards and four touchdowns. Auburn knows all about Pavia. Late last season, Pavia led New Mexico State to a 31-10 over the Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. New Mexico State dominated from the start with Pavia throwing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
This will be the third time for Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze’s game planning for Pavia. During the 2022 season, New Mexico State beat Liberty 49-14 when Freeze was the head coach. In that game, he had six total touchdowns and 339 total yards. The Auburn defense ranks fifth in the SEC with 20 sacks on the season. Leading the way is Keldric Faulk with seven, and Jalen McLeod is second on the team with five. The Tigers did lose some secondary depth with the dismissal of Antonio Kite. Getting pressure on Pavia will be key, but also limiting him in the quarterback run game.
2004 Auburn Tigers Honored
The 2004 Auburn Tigers undefeated team will be honored on Saturday. There has been a lot of debate about whether that Tigers team would have beat the USC Trojans who defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS National Championship Game that season. It would have been a great matchup. That Auburn team was coached by Tommy Tuberville who in the previous season was close to losing his job. The Tigers featured first-round picks in quarterback Jason Campbell, running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, Ronnie Brown, and defensive back Carlos Rogers. A key to that team was first-year offensive coordinator Al Borges. In the spring of 2022, Borges spoke to Last Word on College Football about that team.
