Auburn’s hot.
The Tigers have reeled off five consecutive wins, and they’ve topped 38 points in each of their last three, each against SEC opponents.
They’ve climbed the rankings, too. They’re at Nos. 11 and 12 in the AP and Coaches’ Poll, respectively, and Auburn debuted in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 9
A Vanderbilt team that has mustered just one conference win comes to town this Saturday, and while the Commodores’ record doesn’t jump off the page, Auburn’s not letting themselves look ahead.
“We got our hands full,” coach Gus Malzahn said. “We don’t—hypotheticals in this league, if you look ahead in this league, you get burned. We got our hands full. Our players know that. Our coaches know it. We have not said one word about anything left in the schedule.”
They’ve locked in on Vanderbilt and are determined to not get tripped up by a potential trap game. The Commodores’ defense is underrated, having held conference opponents in Florida and Georgia to 13 and 16 points, respectively.
“They lead the league in turnover margin,” Malzahn said. “They protect the football. They're one of the best in penalties. They don't beat themselves. They make you earn it.
"They beat Georgia at Georgia. They played Florida down to the very end. A very good football team. They have our full attention.”
Vanderbilt allows a tick over 15 points per game in the SEC, and that’s due in large part to linebacker Zach Cunningham.
Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee recruited Cunningham, both while they were at Arkansas State and after they made the move to Auburn.
Cunningham has recorded 85 combined tackles, which ranks 11th in the country among all defensive players. He’s a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, which is given to the nation’s most oustanding defensive player, and the award Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson was also named a semifinalist for.
“I love the way he plays,” Malzahn said. “I mean, Zach Cunningham is one of the better defensive players in our league. He’s very impressive the way he comes off blocks. He sheds blocks and makes play as good as any linebacker in our league.”
But outside of Cunningham, Vanderbilt’s playmakers are lacking on defense. It’ll be tough sledding for the Commodores to slow down Auburn’s red-hot rushing attack, and if the Tigers get ahead, the Vanderbilt offense could have trouble keeping up.
In any case, the opportunity to extend Auburn’s winning streak to six games is there, but the motivation might not be at high as it could be with other conference opponents. There is one part, however, that could add some extra fuel. Vanderbilt holds the all-time edge over Auburn, leading the series 21-20 after the Commodores pulled out a 17-13 win in 2012.
“Really? I didn’t know that,” said Josh Holsey. “We have to change that. It’s ok, we’re working hard so we’ll work on it for Saturday and make sure we try to change that around a little bit.”
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