Auburn can’t hold on to early lead; loses 14-13 to Vanderbilt
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville addresses the media following the 14-13 loss to Vanderbilt Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.: Tuberville said changes were in store for the Tigers’ offense after failing to score in the second half. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR
Extra points are often taken for granted, but in tight games they can carry a lot more weight than usual.
Wes Byrum’s missed extra point in the first quarter proved to be costly as Auburn continued to struggle offensively in Saturday’s upset loss to Vanderbilt.
The Commodores rallied from a 13-point deficit to hand Auburn its second loss of the season, 14-13, in front of 38,773 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville.
“I apologize to the players for not giving them a chance in the second half ,” head coach Tommy Tuberville said after the game. “We didn’t make very good adjustments. But you can’t take anything away from Vanderbilt. I’m not going to make a bunch of excuses. There’s not a lot to say, but this one’s my fault.”
The win marks the first for Vanderbilt against Auburn (4-2, 2-2 SEC) in 14 tries. The last time the Tigers fell to Vandy was in the Gator Bowl in 1955.
The Commodores are now 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1950 and 5-0 for the first time since 1943.
The Auburn offense had a strong first quarter, in which the Tigers compiled 129 yards and two passing touchdowns on its first three drives.
Auburn running back Ben Tate, No. 44, lunges for the goal line in the first half of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt in Nash: The Commodores held Tate and the Auburn offense out of the end zone on fourth and short. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR
Running back Ben Tate, who got the start over Brad Lester, started the game with 40 rushing yards on his first three attempts.
The Tigers turned the ball over after going for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line later in the drive.
However, the next two drives ended in touchdown passes. The first was a 7-yard catch from quarterback Chris Todd to receiver Rod Smith and the second a 28-yard pass from Todd to Mario Fannin. The second score was set up following a diving interception by Jerraud Powers.
Just as the game was beginning to look like a blowout, Auburn ran out of gas.
Following the Fannin touchdown, the Tigers failed to put together a successful offensive drive and managed only 56 yards on offense for the rest of the game and only four rushing yards in the second half. They were forced to punt for nine consecutive drives, and the last drive of the game ended in an interception.
“When you have four yards rushing in a half, you’re not going to beat anybody,” Tuberville said. “That’s not going to happen. We just didn’t have any rhythm from then on. We couldn’t run it, we tried both quarterbacks...but again, we’re not making any excuses. We lost this game. I did.”
Auburn wide receiver Rod Smith, No. 80, secures the ball as he falls in the end zone for the touch down.: Smith gave the Tigers the lead on the pass from Chris Todd. He finished the game with four catches and 18 yards. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR
Auburn quarterback Chris Todd, No. 12, runs from the Vanderbilt defense in Saturday’s match-up against Vanderbilt in Nashville: Todd and Kodi Burns shared time at quarterback for Auburn. Todd went 8-16 passing for 70 yards and two touchdowns. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR
Vanderbilt made it a one-score game when quarterback Mackenzi Adams came off the bench and threw a 15-yard touchdown to Justin Wheeler on third-and-goal in the closing minutes of the first half. Adams replaced Chris Nickson, who injured his throwing shoulder midway through the second quarter and did not return.
Adams led the Vandy offense in a 68-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard toss to Brandon Barden in the endzone. Bryant Hahnfeldt’s extra point attempt went through the uprights, giving Vandy the 14-13 lead and win.
Adams went 13-for-23 for 153 yards in the game and also led the rushing attack with 54 yards.
Tate finished the game with 108 yards on 27 carries and Fannin led receivers with three catches for 56 yards.
At the quarterback spot, Todd went 8-for-16 for 70 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Kodi Burns, who played in the second half, went 2-for-6 for 28 yards, while rushing for -6 yards.
“A lot of guys are upset, a lot of them,” Burns said. “We just have to pick up and move on. It’s another game next week and then a bye week after that. We have to keep pushing.”
Auburn cornerback Jerraud Powers, No. 8, intercepts the pass from Vanderbilt quarterback Chris Nickson in the first half.: Powers leads the team with two interceptions. The Tigers have intercepted five passes on the year. JD Schein / PHOTO EDITOR
Defensive lineman Sen’Derrick Marks injured his ankle and Powers tweaked his hamstring in the game. They are both questionable for Saturday’s game against Arkansas, which has a 4 p.m. kickoff time.
The Plainsman’s JD Schein contributed to this article from Nashville, Tenn.
