The Vanderbilt Game

Here we go again.  The Tigers play Vanderbilt in the Music City as  a 7-point underdog.  Things have changed dramatically since the 2010 National Championship year.  At 1 and 5 the Tigers try to avoid their worst start since 1951.  It doesn't feel good as concerns swirl around whether Gene Chizik will return next year.  The game is the morning SEC game.  It looks cold on TV in Nashville.

FIRST QUARTER

Vanderbilt has the first possession and from the 25 the Dores drive right down the field with our defense soft as it has been all year.  This is a Vanderbilt team that is supposed to have struggled all year on offense and yet they dominate our defense on this first drive.  They run the same plays they've run all year with their offensive line dominating our defensive line while converting two 4th and shorts on the way.   Nothing fancy: just straightforward running between the tackles and a couple of short passes.  The score comes on a 7-yard run over left tackle.  The drive takes up over half of the first quarter.  It looks bad quickly.  No wonder Vandy chose to receive.

Auburn 0  Vanderbilt 7

AU starts on the 26.
After a 17 yard run by Mason on the first play, the offense, like it has all year, disintegrates.
Auburn is punting from their 47.  Two straight negative plays lead to a 3rd and 12 and that leads to the punt.
After the punt into the end zone Vanderbilt starts again.
Vandy goes to the AU 45 on a long run on 3rd and short as we miss tackles like we have all year.
Quentin Riggins says AU is struggling to get lined up on defense as Cassanova McKinzey struggles to get the defense lined up.
The Commodores fumble and AU recovers on the 33.  That's a big turnover early.  Can we take advantage?
The quarter ends with Auburn facing 2nd and 9 from the 34.  Stan White says that if you stop Auburn on first down you stop our offense.  This tells you how limited our offense is.

Auburn 0  Vanderbilt 7

SECOND QUARTER

The Tigers are 3 and out after forcing the turnover.  This is so sad.  On second down McCalebb would have had a first down on a short swing pass but he slips down.  How many times have we seen McCalebb stumble and fall down on his own?  Too many times to count.
Vanderbilt starts on their 43 after McCalebb interferes with the punt receiver.
Finally a 3 and out by the defense.
Vandy fakes the punt with a 4th and 9 but the plays blows up and Auburn starts on the Vandy 37.
First down at the 22.
First down at the 9.
3rd down at the 10 after a gain of 1 and a loss of 2.
3rd and goal from the 10 and we have to call a timeout to get lined up correctly.
When things are not going well it is so easy to be critical of every little thing.
We have a wide open receiver in the end zone and Mosely throws it behind the receiver.  How amazing.  We have to settle for the short field goal.  Mosely costs us an easy touchdown.  You can't win with this kind of QB play.  If we can say nothing else, we can clearly say that we do not have an SEC quarterback.  Mosely is terrible.  If it were me I'd play Jonathan Wallace and forget the other QBs.

Auburn 3  Vanderbilt 7

Vandy on their 25 after the kickoff into the end zone.  Parkey may be the best thing going for this team.
Vandy is 3 and out again.
After a long punt Auburn starts on the 17.
Auburn is 3 and out.  Our offensive struggles continue.  We'll say this the rest of the game.
After a short punt Vandy is on their 43.
On third down.we have 2 defenders in the backfield but their QB escapes.  So sad.
On 4th and inches the Dores go for it & we stop them!
AU on their 48.
There is a first down completion to Blake.
First down at the Vandy 30.
There is a strike to Blake to the 7.
McCalebb is just short of the goal line.
Mason for the touchdown from the one.
Now THAT was a crisp and efficient drive.
Great execution, balance, and rhythm.
The play action worked there.
Establish the run and mix it up.
Both of our scoring drives come after Vandy botches it on 4th down.

Auburn 10  Vanderbilt 7

We have momentum.  This is where our letups have occurred.  What will happen today?
Vandy starts at their 22 with a minute fifteen left in the half.
Auburn has only one interception all year.  This will be a good time for one.
We show soft coverage to allow Vandy to move into field goal range.
The Commodores are all the way down to the Auburn 22.
Our pass coverage is way too soft.
20 seconds left and Vandy has 2 timeouts.
3rd and 10 from the 22.
I do not understand why our defense plays so soft allowing Vanderbilt to move down the field on short passes.
With 3 seconds left the Commodores kick the 30 yard field goal.
Just like last week the Dores go right down the field to tie the game with just over a minute left.  Just like last week.  I don't understand it.  I really don't.  We give up putting pressure on their quarterback and let them short pass right down the field.  I don't understand it.  Ole Miss did the same thing last week.  I mean exactly like last week.

Auburn 10  Vanderbilt 10

THIRD QUARTER

At the half Chizik says the team has to finish. No joke.   It will be a field position game.  Auburn has missed opportunties in the first half. On that last score Auburn was in offensive rhythm for the first time.    Auburn has to will itself to win.  This is a game for Auburn to win.  Will it happen or will the Tigers collapse in the 4th quarter like they have in the past?
AU starts on the 19.
First down run by Mason.
9 yard run by McCalebb.
Prosch for the first down.
An 11 yard run by McCalebb.
Wallace fumbles, Prosch recovers,  but it's a big loss.
Here we go again.  A big negative play.
We move to 3rd and 14.  A big loss puts us behind the 8-ball again.
Mosely is sacked on a 3-man rush.   Here we go again.  A promising drive gets stonewalled by a huge negative play as Wallace fumbles and Prosch has to recover for a double digit loss.
After the punt Vandy starts around their 15.
This is a bad omen.
You've got two not very good teams here and only one will be standing at the end.
Vandy to the 31.
Vandy to the 40.
Our defense is folding.
Vandy to the AU 32.
The Dores are cutting our defense to pieces.
Vandy runs 30 yards to the Auburn 2.
There is the touchdown.  Vanderbilt manhandles our defense.  This is sad, so sad.
That was ugly.  What can you say?  This team is like night and day.  Our defense has quit and our offense kills itself.  It was like we didn't have enough defensive players on the field.  This game is history.  We are going to get blown out by Vanderbilt.

Auburn 10  Vanderbilt 17

Auburn starts on their 15.
Mason is stacked up.
This is a confused offense says Stan White.  So sad.
The Tigers are 3 and out.  It's like our offense doesn't have a clue.
We have another interference call on the punt and Vandy has great field position on the Auburn 45.
Our announcers say these are junior high  penalities.  We keep making the same mistakes over and over. 
We have absolutely no pass rush.  Thank goodness our pass defense is good at times.  It's good down the field but we still give yardage on the short passes.
The Auburn 45 is as far as they can go.
The punt goes into the end zone.
We trail only by a touchdown but our defense is comatose.
There is a long run by Mason.
AU on the Vandy 40.
There is a procedure penalty.  As always we make a mistake to bring up first and 15.
After a short pass completion to McCalebb there is ANOTHER procedure penalty.  Our offense again and again shoots itself in the foot.  It is amazing.
There is a no gain completion to Bray.  It is amazing how this offense self-destructs.
Now Mosely is sacked.  After the big gain. Auburn goes BACKWARD 20 yards.  This is utterly amazing how poor our offense is.   This is a poor, poor offense.  There is no other way to put it.
We don't get to the line of scrimmage until 8 or 9 seconds are left on the clock which leads to complete discombobulation as Mosely looks to the sideline for an update to the play call.  The offense is slow, slow, and slower.
Vandy regains possession as the 4th quarter ends.

Auburn 10  Vanderbilt 17

FOURTH QUARTER

Here we are in another fourth quarter.  This is where Auburn fades.  Of course, it looks like we've already faded in the third quarter.
The Commodores go three and out.
The Tigers start at their 49.
Can the Tigers finally win the fourth quarter?  I doubt it.
The Tigers move to the Commodore 24.
McCalebb to the 20.
Mason loses a yard.
Incomplete pass.  Poor decision by Mosely.
Thanks goodness for our placekicker as Parkey makes the 39 yard FG.

Auburn 13  Vanderbilt 17

The field goal is all fine and dandy but it will take at least another touchdown to win this game.
This is an ugly game by two below average teams.  Vanderbilt is still Vanderbilt but this is not the Auburn football we expect.
Vandy starts on their 25 after the touchback.
There is a long pass completion to a wide-open receiver to the Auburn 38 which Stan White calls "pitiful."
If we give up a touchdown here it's all over.  It's probably over anyway.
The Dores go for it on 4th and 3 from  around the AU 31.
We stuff the attempted halfback pass.
The Tigers start on their 38.
Auburn has not scored a single touchdown in the 4th quarter all year.
The Tigers are 3 and out after having a 2nd and 2.
McCalebb runs sideways on third down.  That play is easy to read.  McCalebb is a great East and West runner but he can't turn it North and South.  Why would you run McCalebbb laterally on third and short?
That is a baffling play call on third and short.
Outside of opening drives in both halves our defense has played pretty well.
We need a 3 and out here and a miracle by our offense.
Vandy starts on their 19 and very quickly there is a 27 yard run by their wildcat QB.
Well, that is that.
There is a five yard gain.  Auburn will lose the fourth quarter once again.
Our offense is incredibly inept and our defense tries to hang on but gets worn down, this time to lowly Vanderbilt.  Make no mistake about it---this is still Vanderbilt and Auburn has no busines losing to Vanderbilt, but it is going to happen today.
There's a run up the middle for a first down.  Barring a turnover, AU will lose again.
Our offense is inept and can't get anything done leaving our defense to hang on.
Vandy fumbles on 3rd and 6 and Auburn recovers on the Vandy 32.
The clock says 2:24.  Auburn has a long way to go and there is no confidence that we can drive for a touchdown.
Auburn moves to the Vandy 40 on a pass completion on 3rd and one.
On 4th down we overthrow Coates who was wide-open BUT,  there was a penalty that would have negated the play anyway.
Auburn will lose to Vanderbilt.
Stan White says there is no excuse for our offense.  None whatsover.
How embarassing. 
"It's ugly," Stan White says.

FINAL SCORE

Auburn 13  Vanderbilt 17

I think I've said all that needs to be said.  This is a terrible Auburn football team.  In particular, the offense is ridiculously bad.

























Like I said to start with, here we go again.