Fresh off a win against Kentucky a week ago, the Auburn Tigers are looking to keep their streak alive against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Tigers lead the all-time series against the Commodores 22-21-1 and have never lost to the Commodores in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Here are the biggest things to look for in Saturday’s game:
Pavia and Kill
The tandem of Diego Pavia and Jerry Kill has created nightmares for Hugh Freeze-led teams over the past two seasons, as Freeze has lost his last two matchups against them at Auburn and Liberty.
In his last season at Liberty, Freeze lost to a Kill-and-Pavia-led New Mexico State team 49-14, and Pavia did what he does, throwing for 214 yards and three touchdowns while adding 125 yards on the ground with an additional three rushing touchdowns.
Last year, in his first year on the Plains, Freeze lost yet again to the dynamic duo in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Pavia led the squad to a dominating 31-10 win over the Tigers and led the surge with 201 yards through the air and three touchdowns.
This time, the two will be on the sidelines in black and gold. Vanderbilt has been the surprise team of the SEC thus far, with a win over No.1 Alabama and taking No. 5 Texas down to the wire a week ago. Freeze, in a joking manner, said he is “sick of seeing that quarterback” when talking about the matchup problems Pavia presents the Tigers with.
If Auburn can keep the dynamic quarterback in check, it will have a great chance at a victory on Sunday. But not many teams have accomplished that feat this season.
Control Time of Possession
Vanderbilt’s strategy this season has been to dink-and-dunk teams all the way down the field, controlling the football for the majority of the game while doing so.
Comparatively, Auburn has only won the time of possession in three of its games this season and is 1-2 in those matchups. Pair that with three-and-outs and it will not bode well for the Tigers on Saturday.
Start off hot
Auburn has not had many fast starts against conference opponents this season, and with the way Vanderbilt runs its offense, the Tigers can’t afford another slow start on Saturday.
Offensively, the Tigers have not scored a point on their first drive from scrimmage in SEC play this season. Since SEC play began for the Tigers, their first drives have resulted in an interception and four punts — all but one of those were three-and-outs. Defensively, it's been the same story for the Tigers, allowing their opponents to score on their first drive in four of the five conference games, with Arkansas the only exception who scored on its second drive.
“That first drive against Vandy is pretty critical, because you may not get many. We better have a dang good plan," Freeze said on Monday.
Feed 27
Coming off a historic performance in which he rushed for 278 yards — the fourth-best rushing performance in Auburn history and the best by an FBS player this season — Jarquez Hunter is looking to continue running rampant through the likes of Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Good things happen when Hunter has the ball in his hands, and when the running game gets going, it only helps Payton Thorne’s production under center. After starting 5-10 last week with an interception, Thorne completed 15 of his next 16 passes. And it came after Auburn found its stride in the running game.
The plan of action on Saturday for Freeze and his offense will be to continue its second half efforts against Kentucky, and it starts with feeding Hunter.
Kickoff is set for 11:45 CTS and will be aired on SECN.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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