Even though they’d had to scratch and claw to eke out a one-score advantage, Auburn was gearing up to salt the game away.
The Tigers were leading by a touchdown with around a minute and a half remaining, and one of, if not the best kicker in college football lined up to kick a game-icing 35-yard field goal. He hadn’t missed but once all year, and that was only because it got tipped at the line.
But then Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt’s star linebacker, leapt over the snapper and was in the backfield before Carlson had begun his kicking motion. He blocked it, and the Commodores had life.
It was just one of those days.
Sometimes, despite all the cards pointing one way, things end up going the other way. Auburn was favored over Vanderbilt by 26 points, but the Tigers needed a second game-clinching interception by Josh Holsey in as many weeks to stave off a feisty Commodore squad Saturday afternoon, 23-16.
“It was one of those days, it was just one of those days,” said coach Gus Malzahn. “There wasn’t a whole lot that went our way. Time and time again, we were facing adversity.
“You know, they jump over and block a field goal, we had a lot of penalties which is very uncharacteristic of our team — we’ve been one of the most disciplined teams in college football — it just seemed every time you turned around, it was something against us. And that’s what makes this win so good, that our kids overcame."
Before Auburn was in a position to hold off Vanderbilt, the Tigers had to grab the lead in the first place. They entered halftime trailing 13-10 after a puzzling situation arose with the offense in the first 30 minutes.
Instead of Sean White trotting out with the offense like he had all year, John Franklin III got his first career start. White was hurt, according to Malzahn, and couldn’t practice all week. With Franklin in, Auburn almost exclusively ran the ball — 21 out of 25 plays, to be exact — and despite scoring a touchdown, the Tigers weren’t nearly as effective as they were with White in.
So, at halftime, White told his coaches he could play. And they let him.
“Sean threw some in warmups, moved around, and it was kind of one of those deals he thought he could go, and at halftime we just made the move,” Malzahn said. “He was ready to go, and obviously he gave our offense a spark, looked like our offense, so real proud of him. He showed a lot of toughness.”
In the second half, White led Auburn to 13 points, and the offense looked back to its old self. However, the defense, which had been exceptional to this point, was getting cut to death by a thousand tiny knives.
Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur commandeered a Commodore offense that didn’t resemble anything close to what it had run up to this point. After averaging a league-low 240 yards per game in conference matches, Vanderbilt racked up 204 just in the first half. They finished with 341, 221 of which were from the many shorter-to-intermediate throws Shurmur made to mitigate the Auburn pass rush.
“They came out with things we haven’t seen before,” said safety Tray Matthews. “Just like the Ole Miss game, we came in the second half, regrouped, coaches drew everything up, and we just played the game and did what the coaches said and came out with a great win.”
In that second half, Auburn’s offense regained its usual form, and the rushing attack opened up passing lanes for White. Kamryn Pettway ran for 173 yards on 23 carries, and would’ve had more had he not come up limping on a breakaway run late in the game that would’ve put Auburn up 27-16. He’s broken the 150-yard mark in four straight games now, the first Auburn player to do that since Bo Jackson in 1985.
With the win, and with No. 4 Texas A&M’s upset loss to Mississippi State, Auburn controls its own destiny in the SEC West. Win out, and the Tigers will head to Atlanta for a spot in the SEC Championship Game.
The players bunched up on the field after the game to watch the Aggies fall, but they’re well-aware looking ahead can “get you burned,” as Malzahn said earlier this week.
“We’ve been mentally prepared in spring practice, mentally prepared in fall camp,” said Carl Lawson. “We want to earn everything we get, and what we’re going to focus on is one game at a time.”
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