Vanderbilt was No. 16 in the first College Football Playoff ranking released Tuesday, accentuating an urgency on the heels of a narrow loss at 11th-ranked Texas.
The Commodores (7-2, 3-2 SEC) realize their margin of error will be gone when they host Auburn on Saturday in Nashville. The same goes for the rest of the regular season.
There’s no need for repetition.
“We had our mission set a long time ago, and we’re right where we want to be,” Commodores safety Marlen Sewell said. “We’re just going to keep progressing and keep doing what we’ve got to do to win.”
Sewell senses a renewed commitment to mastering the details as Vandy prepares to host Auburn (4-5, 1-5) days after the Tigers dismissed head coach Hugh Freeze following a 10-3 home loss to Kentucky.
D.J. Durkin was elevated to interim head coach for the Tigers.
Vanderbilt is coming off a one-score defeat of its own. The Commodores trailed Texas 34-10 after three quarters but a furious rally down the stretch wasn’t enough in a 34-31 loss.
Quarterback Diego Pavia passed for a career-best 365 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, including three through the air. Tight end Eli Stowers is emerging as a matchup problem once again; he had seven receptions for a career-best 146 yards, including a 67-yard TD among two scoring catches.
“There’s been goods and bads for me this season,” Stowers said. “I think that I’m just trying to get better in every single aspect of my game.”
The coaching change notwithstanding, Auburn faces an uphill climb to become bowl eligible, as the Tigers close the regular season with a visit from CFP hopeful Alabama after hosting Mercer on Nov. 22.
Kentucky limited Auburn to 241 total yards – one more than the Wildcats gained – in what proved to be Freeze’s final game, but two interceptions and seven sacks against ultimately doomed the Tigers.
Ashton Daniels, who briefly was relieved by Jackson Arnold in the fourth quarter of the Kentucky game, worked as first-team quarterback during Tuesday’s practice. Durkin, however, hasn’t committed to a starting signal-caller against the Commodores.
“I’m trying to gather information on that, too,” Durkin said. “We have three tremendous young men that can play the quarterback position at a high level.”
Deuce Knight also has taken snaps under center this season.
Vanderbilt figures it will see either a heavy dose of Daniels or Arnold on Saturday, however.
“We study both quarterbacks and get a feel for them both. I mean, a coach is going to coach the quarterback the same, so they play similar,” Sewell said. “They have their own nuances but just study them both.”
While Durkin will call the Tigers’ defense, running backs coach and offensive coordinator Derrick Nix will serve as offensive play-caller.
“I think Derrick will do a great job, and we’ll be aggressive in everything we do,” Durkin said.
The all-time series between the schools is tied 22-22-1. The Commodores are 12-8 in home games but the Tigers prevailed in the most recent contest in Nashville, winning 31-15 on Nov. 4, 2023.
