It Likely Won't Be Pretty, But Vanderbilt Football Has to Stay Alive Against Auburn; Column
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NASHVILLE—Let’s flash back to Oct. 25.
The College Gameday buzz had subsided, the darkening sky permeated the environment and Vanderbilt had to put on its figurative boxing gloves if it was going to have any chance at closing this thing out against No. 15 Missouri.
It was later described as an “ugly” game by Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, but that didn’t matter as Vanderbilt scratched and clawed to find a way to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. It didn’t earn any style points–or boost Diego Pavia’s Heisman Trophy campaign–that day, but it stayed in the fight and found a way to win. It was the type of win that every championship team has to have at least one of.
This Vanderbilt team may need to win ugly again on Saturday, though.
Auburn doesn’t have the appearance of the team that could easily come in and beat Vanderbilt if both teams are at their best, it doesn’t have a coach, but it does have a defense that’s would’ve been good enough to keep Auburn in College Football Playoff talks if its offense had answered the call.
The Tigers haven’t given up more than 24 points all season, yet they’re 4-5 on the season and 1-5 in SEC play. That says something about this group’s offense, but it also says something about what will be required of this Vanderbilt team if it’s going to leave FirstBank Stadium with a win and its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
All the cliches apply here. Vanderbilt has to avoid the big turnover. It has to keep the proper intensity and focus. It has to have the ability to endure a punch as well as a slog of three and outs too, though.
More than it will be a test of talent or capability, it will be a test of mental fortitude, toughness, how physical Vanderbilt can be up front and its ability to establish the run game effectively against Auburn’s stout defense.
“We want to be able to run the ball to stay on schedule, run to win, throw to score is kind of what we say,” Lea said. “Auburn is hard to move, so they’ll challenge us. But, can we be patient with the score? Can we be patient with the game, commit to that run game? That’s gonna help us separate late if we can get it going.”
In reality, Vanderbilt doesn’t need a world of separation in order to leave Saturday with a positive result. This doesn’t have to be pretty—and if last season’s matchup between these two teams indicates anything, it won’t be—it just has to get the job done.
The offensive counting stats will likely be significantly worse than they were for this team a week ago in its loss to Texas, but that’s okay. What really matters here is that Vanderbilt is the tougher, more physical team.
It’ll have to defy the idea that it’s significantly better than Auburn that makes this a trap game of sorts. It will have to battle through a sickness that has matriculated through its roster this week. It will have to fight through the urge to give in to frustration when this Auburn defense flexes its muscles.
“Championship teams go through games like this,” Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said after Vanderbilt’s win over Missouri–a game that appears to present the same blueprint needed to win as Saturday’s game. “It’s just how you prevail when you go through those hard times and when you play complimentary football.”
So, what will it be for this Vanderbilt football team? Will it be a story of grit and toughness winning out in the end? Will it be a team that came out and refused to cave to the rock fight that Auburn wanted to start? Or will it be a story of this team thinking it’s good enough to sleepwalk through this team because it has a losing record and its head coach was fired?
The latter would send this team to a bowl game and would effectively end its run towards its goal of the College Football Playoff. The former would keep it alive with its back against the wall. It’s a situation reminiscent of the SEC basketball Tournament for this Vanderbilt team, survive and advance regardless of circumstance.
It doesn’t have to be glamorous, they’ve just got to go do it and stay alive.
“We're in a position that our school hasn't been in in a while,” Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers said. “I think that we understand that, and it's not necessarily putting pressure on us, but we know that we have a responsibility to take care of every single week, every single day, and we're trying to attack every single day like that.”
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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