Vanderbilt (8-2 straight up, 7-2-1 against the spread) kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive by capturing a 45-38 overtime win over Auburn as a six-point home favorite Saturday in Nashville. The 83 combined points soared ‘over’ the 46-point total when Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia hit Trent Richardson for a 57-yard scoring strike with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
The Commodores, who were ranked #16 in the first CFP rankings released this past week, improved to 8-2 for the first time since 1941. Pavia became the first QB in program history to throw for more than 300 yards and run for more than 100 yards in the same game.
Pavia connected on 25-of-33 throws for 377 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also had 112 rushing yards and one TD on 18 attempts.
RB Sedrick Alexander added 39 rushing yards and a pair of TDs on 10 carries, while Richardson had three receptions for 124 yards and one TD. TE Eli Stowers hauled in 12 catches for 122 yards, and WR Junior Sherrill caught four balls for 75 yards and one TD.
Three teams – #7 BYU, #14 Virginia and #15 Louisville – ranked ahead of Vandy in the first CFP rankings lost on Saturday, and three teams behind the Commodores – #20 Iowa, #22 Missouri and #23 Washington – also went down. Therefore, you would think that they would be move up at least two spots to #14 and perhaps even higher.
Playing for the first time since head coach Hugh Freeze was fired, Auburn drew first blood on a 14-yard TD pass from QB Ashton Daniels to WR Eric Singleton. The TD pass capped a 13-play, 89-yard drive that chewed up 5:30 of clock.
After Vandy answered with a 23-yard field goal from Brock Taylor, Auburn went 75 yards in seven plays and extended its lead to 14-3 on an 11-yard TD run by Daniels.
The Commodores moved into Auburn territory on their next drive on a 14-yard pass from Pavia to RB Jamezell Lassiter. However, RB Makhilyn Young coughed up a fumble on the next play and Auburn DE Keldric Faulk recovered.
Several plays later in a third-and-five situation, Daniels broke the pocket and scrambled 14 yards to the Vandy 1. The Tigers couldn’t take advantage, though, as they had a false start on the next play. They ended up settling for a 26-yard field goal by Alex McPherson for a 17-3 lead.
Vandy responded quickly. First, Pavia ran for 12 yards and a first down. Next, he found Richardson for a 43-yard gain. Pavia threw a strike to Sherrill for a 20-yard TD on the next play with 1:15 left in the first half.
Auburn got into field-goal range before the break and McPherson buried a 47-yarder to make its lead 20-10 at halftime.
Vandy’s defense forced a three and out to start the second half. The Commodores then went 73 yards in six plays with Alexander’s four-yard TD run cutting Auburn’s lead to 20-17.
The Tigers answered with a solid drive, going 55 yards in eight plays before the possession stalled. McPherson nailed a 38-yard field goal to give his team a 23-17 advantage.
Vandy took its first lead moments later. On a third-and-seven play from its own 28, Pavia found Stowers for a 15-yard gain. Next, Pavia threw a 57-yard scoring strike to Richardson for a 24-23 lead.
After both teams traded TDs, Alexander scored on a nine-yard TD run on a third-and-goal play to give Vandy a 38-30 lead. Auburn answered, though, as Daniels hit WR Cam Coleman for a 23-yard TD. Daniels found Coleman again on the two-point conversion to knot the score at 38-38 with 5:27 remaining.
Vandy was facing a third-and-three situation from its own 45 after the two-minute warning. Pavia connected with WR Richie Hoskins for a six-yard gain and the Tigers were called for a face mask as well, moving the Commodores to the Auburn 34.
Three plays later, Vandy was looking at a fourth-and-one situation at Auburn’s 25 with 1:10 left. Vandy head coach Clark Lea opted to pass on a 42-yard field-goal attempt and go for it, but Pavia was stuffed for a three-yard loss.
Auburn was able to advance to Vandy’s 43 with five seconds remaining, but interim head coach DJ Durkin didn’t think McPherson had enough led for a 60-yarder. Daniels threw a Hail Mary on the final play of regulation, but his pass fell incomplete.
Vandy had the first possession of the extra session. On second and 10, Pavia connected with Sherrill for a 21-yard gain. On first and goal, Pavia threw a four-yard TD pass to TE Cole Spence.
Moments later, Auburn was facing a fourth-and-seven play from Vandy’s 12. Daniels wisely went to his favorite target, Coleman, who was going up against double coverage, but the throw sailed high to end the game.
I’ve been saying all season on my podcast, Bets and Ballgames for Southeastern 16, that Coleman should be getting 12-15 targets per game. But Auburn had not targeted Coleman more than 10 times in its first nine games. Therefore, his season-high for catches was seven and his season-best for receiving yards was 108 going into the Vandy game.
In Auburn’s first six SEC games, it had scored more than 17 points only once, a 33-point effort at Arkansas. But with Coleman getting 15 targets at Vandy, he had a breakout performance with 10 receptions for 143 yards and one TD. Not surprisingly with Coleman getting more usage, Auburn’s offense produced 34 first downs, 563 total yards and 38 points.
FanDuel’s updated odds to win the Heisman Trophy on Sunday morning had Ohio St. QB Julian Saying as the +160 ‘chalk.’ The next-shortest odds belonged to Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza (+170), Alabama QB Ty Simpson (+500) and Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed (+700).
Next? That would be Pavia with the fifth-shortest odds (20/1).
FanDuel has Vandy with +235 odds to make the CFP. Gamblers can take ‘No’ on the Commodores to make the CFP for a -300 price.
Vandy has 100/1 odds to win the CFP.
After their open date this weekend, the Commodores will host Kentucky before their regular-season finale at Tennessee. Auburn also has an open date before playing host to Mercer.