Byrum Brown rushed and passed for a score, Auburn’s special teams found paydirt, and the Tigers earned their first Southeastern Conference victory by topping Vanderbilt 21-15 on Saturday afternoon in Auburn, Ala.
Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC) trailed early by a field goal, but they rallied behind Brown and a strong team effort to get new coach Alex Golesh his first victory in the conference.
Brown went 18-for-27 for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also carried the ball 10 times for 57 yards and scored on a quarterback keeper.
Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1) outgained Auburn 311 to 279 in total yards, but the Commodores were just 4-for-17 on third-down conversions.
In his second start, freshman Jared Curtis was 22-of-33 for 199 yards with an interception. Junior Sherrill caught six passes for 95 yards.
The visitors took advantage of the first miscue when Miles Capers, who forced the fumble in the end zone in last weekend’s miraculous win, picked off a deflection and put his team in scoring position at the 23. Brock Taylor later booted a 39-yard field goal at 9:29.
However, Brown had an answer on the next possession. He finished a 6-play, 75-yard drive with a scoring pass of 33 yards to Chas Nimrod at 7:25 for Auburn’s first lead on a drive that traveled 75 yards on six plays.
The Tigers’ special teams unit doubled the output. Omar Mabson II’s blocked punt was fielded by Cade Carlson and returned the final 10 yards for a 14-3 lead at 8:56 of the second quarter.
The Commodores mounted a strong drive in the third quarter. Sedrick Alexander plunged in from three yards at 7:07, but Curtis overthrow a receiver on a failed 2-point play to leave it 14-9.
Auburn made it a 2-score margin with Brown rumbled around right end at 4:40 of the third. His short run ended an 8-play drive that went 75 yards in 2:27 for a 21-9 lead.
Taylor drilled one from 47 yards early in the fourth quarter to bring Vanderbilt’s deficit to nine, then he tacked on a 45-yarder with 6:26 left to bring the visitors to within six points.
–Field Level Media
