Breaking down the 31-15 victory for the Tigers in Nashville
In a dominant, quasi-home environment, Auburn proved to be dominant against Vanderbilt, improving to 5-4 on the season. Payton Thorne has had over an 80% adjusted completion percentage this game . He threw for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jarquez Hunter had another great game, rushing for 183 yards and 2 Touchdowns. Auburn now has a winning streak in the SEC and looks to expand it heading into a matchup against Arkansas next week.
Auburn has to not beat themselves heading into the back half of the season preparing for the Iron Bowl.
-Ike Jones on the Weekend Tailgate
Ron Robert’s defense had an, expected, strong game, only allowing one score (Payton Thorne had a pick six). D.J. James played his best game of the season, as far as my eyes are concerned. He recorded a, team-high, 7 tackles (including 2 tackles for loss) and 2 pass break-ups. The Vanderbilt O-Line looked overwhelmed against the Tigers front four. In all, the Tigers had 9 tackles for loss on the day (with 5 sacks). Additionally, Auburn kept its turnover streak (18 games) alive with a late interception by Nehemiah Pritchett, his first of the season.
Offensively, the wide receivers have to be better. Two of the 6 recorded drops on the day came from Cam Brown and Omari Kelley. Both had crucial drops on the same drive that both could have been touchdowns. Payton Thorne wasn’t perfect by any means but his weapons surrounding him were disappointing.
Overall, Auburn is moving in a positive direction. However, there are some things that need to get cleaned up. The errant throws, missed blocking assignments, penalties, and drops did not, ultimately, cost the Tigers the game in Nashville. However, in order to get a win in Fayetteville, they will want to limit those type of mistakes.
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