The Auburn Tigers return home to Jordan-Hare Stadium to open up the month of November, preparing to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores and head coach Clark Lea.
The Tigers spent the entirety of October on the road, but now continue SEC play still with a chance to earn a bowl game bid.
This year’s meeting marks the 45th contest between Auburn and Vanderbilt, a series which the Tigers have a slight lead in at 22-21-1. The two teams met last year in Nashville, which Auburn won 31-15.
Lea is in the midst of his fourth season with the Commodores, who enter with a 5-3 (2-2 SEC) record following a tight 27-24 loss to Texas. Vanderbilt holds conference wins over both Alabama and Kentucky, while the other loss came at the hands of Missouri.
Here is everything you need to know about the Commodores leading up to kickoff on Saturday.
Offense:
For Tigers fans, what Vanderbilt’s offense presented in last year’s matchup is nowhere near the same as what they saw last year, but that does not mean it will be unfamiliar. The Commodores are led under center by New Mexico State quarterback transfer Diego Pavia, who picked apart the Auburn defense last year when he threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win.
This season, Pavia is putting on his best performance of his college career with a 64.5% completion rate for 1,534 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions.
While holding a winning record, Vanderbilt is No. 13 in the SEC in total offensive yardage, averaging 351.5 yards per game. 195.4 of those yards come through the air, which ranks No. 12 in the conference.
Another New Mexico State transfer in Eli Stowers leads that charge, racking up 36 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns. Young star Junior Sherrill is also making his mark with 17 catches of his own for 277 yards and three touchdowns. He had a touchdown against the Tigers in last year’s showdown.
As for the ground game, the Commodores come in at No. 10 in the SEC in average rushing yards at 156.1. Pavia has been a very mobile quarterback at times this season and leads the team in that category with 537 rushing yards on the year. Vanderbilt’s top running back is sophomore Sedrick Alexander, earning 412 yards and five touchdowns on 105 carries at this point in the season.
Defense:
The Commodores’ defense has consistently put on an average or sometimes poor performance in the 2024 campaign. Vanderbilt is currently 12th in the conference in average total defense, giving up 339 yards per game. That poor performance at times has led to numerous scoring drives by the opposition, as it is currently allowing 22.8 points per game.
The one area that the Commodores have shined in for most of the season is their rush defense. While it may rank in the middle of the SEC, Vanderbilt comes in at 28th in the nation in average rush yards allowed with 114.8, proving how deep the conference is in playing against the run this year.
Sophomore linebacker Bryan Longwell and TCU transfer Rnadon Fontenette are the team’s top two tacklers on the season. Longwell comes into the game with 56 total tackles, six tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks on the year, while Fontenette has put up 44 tackles with 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks. Each of them also holds one interception to their name on the year.
Upperclassmen Langston Patterson and Miles Capers should continue to be incorporated back into action on Saturday, as both missed the Ball State game with injury two weeks ago. Each player made a return to the field last week against Texas after being listed as probable for the game.
Special Teams:
Sophomore kicker Brock Taylor has been reliable for the Commordoes this year, going 15-for-18 so far and being perfect over the course of the last four games. Taylor has proved to have the distance to put points on the board from long range, with his season high coming from 57 yards out in their loss to Missouri.
Taylor is tied for 86th in the nation, being responsible for 72 of Vanderbilt's points this season, but ties for the lead in the SEC in field goals made at 15. He also leads the conference in field goals from 50 yards or more this season, putting up five.
In the return game, the Commodores are most lethal on the back ends of punts, ranking fourth in the SEC in average return yardage thanks to the 17.3 yards per return that Martel Hight gains. His current longest return of 57 yards was good enough for a touchdown in the team’s week two win over Alcorn State.
The Tigers will do battle with Vanderbilt on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. CST and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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Tyler Raley is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @traley34.
