NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt Commodores are on a mission.
Mackenzi Adams came off the bench and threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 19 Vanderbilt beat 13th-ranked Auburn 14-13 Saturday night to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1943.
“People can think what they want to think,” Vandy linebacker Chris Marve said. “We just want to show the country we’re a different Vanderbilt.”
The Commodores improved to 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference for only the third time — and the first since 1950. This win keeps them undefeated atop the SEC East while also snapping a 13-game skid to Auburn (4-2, 2-2). It was Vandy’s first win in the series since the 1955 Gator Bowl, and the fewest points Auburn has scored in this series since that bowl game.
“This is what coaches live for,” Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. “I live to walk into the locker room and see how happy our players are.”
Trying to preserve a one-point lead, Vandy had to punt the ball back to Auburn one last time with 2:16 left, but Brett Upson kicked it 55 yards and Alan Strong downed it at the Tigers 3. On the next play, Myron Lewis intercepted Chris Todd’s pass intended for Rodgeriqus Smith.
“A lot of these teams think they’re way better than us,” Vandy receiver George Smith said. “But we’re proving that we can play with them.”
The difference in the game was Auburn kicker Wes Byrum’s missed extra point in the first quarter, but Vandy outgained the Tigers on offense 263-208, and a defense that had led the SEC in sacks coming in added five by five different Commodores. Vandy sacked Todd twice in the final 4 minutes to force the Tigers to punt away with 2:51 left.
Auburn still looks lost in its new spread offense. The Tigers managed just 4 yards rushing in the second half, and coach Tommy Tuberville took the blame.
“We couldn’t run it. We’re not making any excuses. We lost this game. I did,” Tuberville said.
