Auburn Tigers, Alex Golesh Pick Up First SEC Win in Shaky Vanderbilt Victory

Despite not having the ball much in the second half, the Auburn Tigers took advantage of opportunties in all three phases to win their first conference game of the season.

Auburn Tigers defensive back Cade Carlson (55) celebrates his touchdown as Auburn Tigers take on Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. Auburn Tigers lead Vanderbilt Commodores 14-3 at halftime. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

While it wasn’t the prettiest of home wins, the Auburn Tigers bounced back on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores 21-15 to pick up their first SEC win of the season. 

The win also snaps a near-two year losing streak at Jordan-Hare Stadium over in-conference opponents, being a sigh of relief for the program with a new head coach in Alex Golesh. The last time the Tigers won an SEC home game was in November 2024 against Texas A&M.

Auburn’s defense and special teams jumped on the Commodores early, being led by true freshman Jared Curtis at quarterback for his first away start in college football. The Tigers got to Curtis four times in the win, and on special teams, Auburn blocked a punt in Vanderbilt territory to take back 10 yards for its second touchdown of the game. 

Special teams, Special plays,
Special players 📈🔥

📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/uYyGYvuDhV

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) September 26, 2026

Running back Omar Mabson II was the one who got his fingers on the punt, while safety Cade Carlson scooped it up and got the Tigers up double-digits. 

Auburn’s first touchdown of the game came on the third drive of the game, with quarterback Byrum Brown hitting receiver Chas Nimrod in stride for a 33-yard score. That’s the Tennessee transfer’s first touchdown as a Tiger of the 2026 season. 

Brown’s other touchdown of the game came with his legs on a two-yard score in the third quarter, being his 13th straight game with a rushing touchdown that dated back to his time at USF.

On the other side of the ball, while Auburn pestered Curtis throughout the contest with getting in the backfield, the five-star freshman extended plays with his legs to keep the Commodores alive throughout the contest. Vanderbilt also dominated the time of possession, recording 37:32 of the time on offense. 

The Tigers forced their opponent to go 4-of-17 on third down, but Vanderbilt converted four of its five fourth-down conversions, being a point of emphasis next week for DJ Durkin’s group going forward. The Commodores also recorded more yards than Auburn, 311-279.

However, miscues and advantages on special teams helped Golesh get over the hump of a first SEC win, and it’s one that Auburn fans will rejoice about with breaking a 22-month draft of a conference win on the Plains. 

Auburn will be back in action next Saturday afternoon, where it will face Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in its first SEC away game of the year. 

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