Current Vanderbilt football coach Jerry Kill, offensive coordinator Tim Beck, and quarterback Diego Pavia have been kicking Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze’s tail in since 2022 when he was head coach at Liberty. The trio was at New Mexico State then, and that continued last year when New Mexico State upset Auburn.
Big week for Hugh Freeze and Co. That crew of Jerry Kill, Tim Beck and Diego Pavia dominated Freeze and staff at Liberty, then did it again last season at Auburn. Kill, Beck and Pavia are now at Vanderbilt, who comes to town on Saturday. Plenty of added internal motivation.
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) October 28, 2024
Now, that the trio has taken their talents to Vanderbilt. This is The Revenge Game for coach Freeze, as Auburn can show that they have learned from their mistakes of last year.
Auburn is coming off a win against Kentucky on the road last week, and will be motivated to win two in a row for the first time all season.
Auburn Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Football History
The Tigers and Commodores have previously met 44 times. Auburn currently holds a slight edge of 22 victories (with one tied game). Auburn holds the win streak as well, winning the previous two matchups between these teams.
While Kill, Beck and Pavia will be key in this game, fourth-year head coach Clark Lea will be no walk in the park to coach against for coach Freeze. Auburn’s key players will look very familiar in this game. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt’s main weapon has already been mentioned, but who else on the Commodores roster will pester the Tigers in the revenge game?
Key Players for the Auburn Tigers
Coach Freeze did what Auburn fans, sympathizers, and “fanalysts” everywhere have been asking him to do all season. He fed Jarquez Hunter.
The results were a win on the schedule, as Hunter rushed for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He also secured himself atop the leaderboard in rushing yards in the SEC entering Week 10. Hunter will be a key piece in the revenge game for coach Freeze to finally beat the trio.
Meanwhile, quarterback Payton Thorne is going to be key in this game. Vanderbilt’s defense is excellent all over the field. Thorne is going to have to do his best to protect the football at all costs and make quick, correct decisions whether that means to keep the ball and run it or even throw it away in certain situations.
Finally, KeAndre Lambert-Smith has been relatively quiet for a couple of games. For Thorne to play well, Lambert-Smith is going to have to have a big game by getting open and making plays, no matter the quality of throw. These three seniors need to step up and show the rest of the team that they know how to win for the future of the program.
Defensively, Auburn will have to contain Diego Pavia, plain and simple. To do this, Eugene Asante, Keldric Faulk, and Jalen McLeod are going to have to create pressure while keeping contain.
Asante has risen to the occasion over the last three games with 15 tackles and two sacks. He will need to continue to create pressure in the backfield on Pavia in the revenge game.
Meanwhile, Faulk and McLeod have been menaces this year with a combined 12 sacks between the two players. Constant pressure from this duo will help the Auburn Tigers beat Vanderbilt in this SEC football matchup.
A fourth player that will be key is defensive lineman Malik Blocton, who currently has 1.5 sacks on the year. Blocton will be key as a rotational player, maintaining the pressure the aforementioned have created. Look for Blocton to potentially have a breakout game.
Key Players for the Vanderbilt Commodores
Pavia, Pavia, and Pavia. Diego Pavia is elite and it is infuriating that Auburn did not spend the NIL money required to get him to transfer to Auburn. However, that is an issue of the past.
While Pavia is seen by many as a one-man show because of his dual-threat ability, he has some stellar teammates on offense in Sedrick Alexander and Eli Stowers.
Alexander is currently 12th in the SEC in rushing yards (Pavia is sixth) and has five rushing touchdowns. If Alexander gets going, it will be hard for Auburn to stop this offense. Trying to contain Alexander and Pavia will be a tough task.
Meanwhile, Stowers is 10th in the SEC in receiving yards and is the only tight end in the top-15. He has three receiving touchdowns and also has one touchdown pass completed for 17 yards. Coaches Beck and Kill will look to creatively get Stowers involved. It is something the Auburn Tigers need to be aware of in this football game.
Pavia’s stats so far this year are ridiculous for a quarterback at Vanderbilt. He has over 1,500 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions, paired with 537 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Pavia’s hand will be all over this game, yet it’s up to Auburn to decide by how much.
Defensively, the Commodores are versatile and nasty. They have 10 players with at least half a sack, seven players with one interception, and 15 players with at least one pass deflection. The key players for Vanderbilt to get the upset in the revenge game are sophomore linebackers Randon Fontenette and Bryan Longwell, and senior safety CJ Taylor.
Fontenette is the definition of versatility for the Commodores. The sophomore has 43 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five pass deflections, and is one of the seven players with an interception. He will be all over the field and presents multiple problems for the Auburn Tigers.
Longwell is just as versatile, leading the team in tackles with 56, 1.5 sacks, one pass deflection and one interception. Longwell will be involved in most plays and Auburn will have to be extremely careful with him.
Taylor is the defensive back with the most tackles for that position group with 32. He also has a pass deflection and an interception. His leadership will be key to watch with the Vanderbilt defense.
Key to Victory for the Auburn Tigers
Auburn may have finally found their identity running the ball with Jarquez Hunter. This, and containing Pavia, are the keys to Auburn winning the game.
The cliché of playing mistake-free football is the truth for Auburn. Thorne has been throwing interceptions aplenty this year. He is going to have to play a clean game against a tough Vanderbilt team. This comes with running the ball more and feeding Hunter.
Defensively, Auburn’s key has to be stopping Pavia. However, this also expands to stopping the run. The defensive line is going to have to create pressure to stop Pavia and Alexander running the ball. Yet, they will also have to keep contain on Pavia so he does not hurt the Tigers by extending plays.
Recruiting Roundup
With the most recent commitments being from Sam Turner and Deuce Knight, we will focus on upcoming visits.
From the 2025 recruiting class, the aforementioned Turner will be visiting with fellow 2025 class member, four-star defensive linemen Joseph Mbatchou. Mbatchou is currently predicted to the Florida Gators.
Meanwhile, the 2026 recruiting class has three visits scheduled for this weekend. Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis (who recently decommitted from Georgia), five-star Edge Zion Elee, and running back Spencer Unruh. Both five-stars are not currently predicted to Auburn, but coach Freeze is a recruiting wizard.
Finally, 2027 Athlete/Edge D’ante Seals will be in attendance for another game at Jordan-Hare Stadium this week as well.
I will be back at Jordan-Hare Stadium this weekend for a game day visit‼️#WDE 🦅🔵🟠🐅
📍 Auburn, AL pic.twitter.com/wHe5zIhr1u
— D’ante Seals (@DanteSeals09) October 30, 2024
