Auburn football is going through a turbulent season, after parting ways with former head coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers lost to Vanderbilt on Saturday, in another tough loss. Vanderbilt won by a 45-38 score, in an overtime game.
Following the contest, Auburn's quarterback Ashton Daniels voiced his frustration.
“It seems like time and time again, nothing goes our way. It hurts,” Daniels said postgame, per On3.
The Tigers put up a valiant effort in the game. Auburn was able to take the game into overtime, after blowing a 10 point halftime lead. Ultimately, Vanderbilt made just too many big plays.
“We didn’t come here to make this thing close,” Auburn's interim head coach DJ Durkin said postgame, per the school. “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.”
Auburn drops to 4-6 on the season, following the loss. Vanderbilt is now 8-2 on the campaign.
Auburn nearly had a win against Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt opened overtime with a touchdown, and Auburn was unable to match them.
“I thought our guys battled,” 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.”
Auburn rolled up more than 500 yards of total offense. Daniels had a spectacular day under center, throwing for 353 passing yards and two touchdowns.
“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.”
The game was a shootout in the passing game. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia threw for 377 passing yards for the Commodores, with three touchdowns. He also rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Auburn can afford no more losses, if it wants to make a bowl game this season. The Tigers have two games left, against Mercer and Alabama. Auburn next plays Mercer on November 22.
