NASHVILLE – Quarterbacks Ashton Daniels and Diego Pavia both put on a show before No. 15 Vanderbilt prevailed 45-38 in overtime Saturday at FirstBank Stadium.
“We didn’t come here to make this thing close,” interim head coach DJ Durkin said. “Auburn is about championships and that’s what we’re going to do here. Our kids battled and that was great. That’s a step for us. You need to be in the fight before you can win the fight, but we’ve got to take the next step and we’re going to do that.”
Pavia opened the extra period with a 4-yard jump pass for a touchdown, giving Auburn a chance for a game-tying score, but Daniels’ fourth-and-7 pass from the 12-yard line fell incomplete.
“I thought our guys battled,” interim head coach DJ Durkin said. “We said there would be ups and downs and adversity, and we’re going to respond, and they did. They responded the whole game. I’m proud of our kids, how they came together and fought for one another.”
Trailing 38-30 midway through the fourth quarter, Daniels threw to Cam Coleman, who made a spectacular, one-handed 23-yard touchdown catch to pull the Tigers within two points.
“Cam’s one of the best players in the country,” Durkin said. “He’s a great teammate, he never gets down or frustrated. It’s never about him, it’s about his team. We have confidence in Cam. He’ll make the plays in those moments and he did.”
Daniels targeted Coleman again for a game-tying 2-point conversion, evening the score at 38-38 with 5:27 to play as chants of “Let’s go Auburn!” made it feel like the Tigers were playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“Our fans are amazing,” Durkin said. “They show up and that’s unique. That’s what makes this place great and that’s why we love Auburn.”
A thorn in Auburn’s side three years running, Pavia attempted to lead Vanderbilt on a game-winning drive, but Bryce Deas stopped him for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Tigers’ 25-yard line after the Commodores elected not to attempt a 42-yard field goal.
“I was surprised they went for it,” Durkin said. “I thought they were going to kick the field goal. Great job by our guys. They did a great job of executing in that moment. That was a big moment for us, it gave us a chance to win in regulation.”
Auburn advanced to Vanderbilt’s 43-yard line but Daniels’ end zone heave fell incomplete on the final play of regulation to send the teams to overtime.
Daniels completed 31 of 44 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns, adding 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Eric Singleton Jr. made 11 receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. Coleman made 10 receptions for 143 yards and a score. Jeremiah Cobb logged his fifth hundred-yard game of the season, gaining 115 yards on 16 carries while adding four receptions for 34 yards, helping Auburn amass 565 yards of total offense.
“They did a great job of executing the plan we put in place earlier in the week,” Durkin said. “Let’s get our playmakers the ball as much as possible. Credit to our players, they did a great job with the plan Coach Nix and his staff put together. They gave us a chance to win.”
Xavier Atkins again led Auburn in tackles with nine.
On the game’s opening possession, Auburn forced a punt after Vanderbilt crossed midfield, giving the Tigers the ball on their own 11-yard line.
Daniels completed three third-down passes, including a 39-yard screen to Malcolm Simmons on third-and-19.
Daniels completed 5 of 6 passes for 81 yards on the drive, giving Auburn a 7-0 lead on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Singleton to cap the 13-play, 89-yard drive.
Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2) answered with a drive that consumed 7 minutes and 15 seconds over 13 plays. After the Commodores reached the Tigers’ 10-yard line, Auburn bottled up Pavia twice on rushes, leading to a 23-yard field goal and a 7-3 Tigers’ lead.
Daniels continued to cook on Auburn’s second drive, going 3-for-3 and picking up first downs on passes to Singleton, Cobb and Coleman. Daniels gave Auburn a 14-3 lead with an 11-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers stopped Vanderbilt’s third drive when Dallas Walker IV forced a fumble that Keldric Faulk recovered. Cobb gained 34 yards on consecutive rushes, setting up Alex McPherson’s 26-yard field to give Auburn a 17-3 lead with 1:52 to play in the half.
Pavia needed only three plays to put the Commodores in the end zone, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 17-10 on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Junior Sherrill.
With 1:15 to work with, Cobb started the drive with an 18-yard run and McPherson ended the half by matching his season long with a 47-yard field goal, putting the Tigers on top 20-10 at the half.
Auburn went three-and-out to open the second half and Pavia continued to make explosive plays with his legs and arm before Sedrick Alexander pulled Vanderbilt within three points with a 4-yard touchdown rush.
Coleman’s highlight reel toe-tap catch gained 32 yards and led to McPherson’s third field goal of the game and his 10th consecutive make, a 38-yarder that gave Auburn a 23-17 lead at the 9:15 mark of the third quarter.
Vanderbilt quickly claimed a 24-23 lead on Pavia’s 57-yard touchdown pass to Tre Richardson midway through the third quarter.
After an exchange of punts, Auburn reclaimed a 30-24 lead on Daniels’ second rushing touchdown, a 16-yarder with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Pavia quickly responded once again, leading Vanderbilt on a 75-yard touchdown drive, putting the Commodores ahead 31-30 with a 7-yard run at the 14:05 mark of the fourth quarter.
After Auburn went three-and-out, Pavia led the Commodores on their fourth touchdown drive of the second half, with Alexander giving Vanderbilt a 38-30 lead on a 9-yard rush with 7:57 left in the game.
Pavia completed 25 of 33 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns, adding 112 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, totaling 489 of Vanderbilt’s 544 total yards.
“We tried to keep him in the pocket and limit where his scrambles are,” Durkin said. “We didn’t do that at times. That cost us. We needed to make more stops than we did.”
After an off week, Auburn (4-6, 1-6) returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. CT on SEC Netowrk+ and the Auburn Sports Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer