Vanderbilt will make a second attempt to become bowl eligible on Saturday afternoon when it visits Auburn.
The Commodores (5-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) saw their three-game winning streak snapped in a 27-24 defeat against then-No. 5 Texas last Saturday.
Auburn (3-5, 1-4), in turn, halted a four-game losing streak with a 24-10 win at Kentucky on Saturday.
The Tigers recorded a 31-16 victory over the Commodores last season in Nashville in large part due to Jarquez Hunter, who rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
But the game at the forefront of this week’s conversation is Auburn’s 2023 contest with New Mexico State that came two weeks later.
In that game, Diego Pavia — who is now Vanderbilt’s quarterback — completed 19 of 28 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns and added eight carries for 35 yards. Tight end Eli Stowers had four receptions for 48 yards and a score in a 31-10 win for the Aggies.
Those two are now starring for the Commodores, whose coach, Clark Lea, designed his 2024 offensive strategy around the players. Joining Lea in Nashville are the same coach (Jerry Kill, now an offensive analyst) and offensive coordinator (Tim Beck), who engineered last year’s upset.
“I’m sick of seeing that quarterback. I’ve had enough of him,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said jokingly when referring to Pavia on Monday. “He moves and makes plays and is savvy and is smart and tough and again makes everybody do their assignment on every single play or you get burned.”
That’s a potential nightmare for Auburn, which ranks 125th nationally in turnover margin (minus-9).
Still, the Tigers’ defense has overcome much of that, allowing an average of 19.5 points per game (26th nationally).
“Defensively, they’re fast and physical and they cover you up,” Lea said. “Their forced incompletion rate is among the best in the country. It’s a group that plays with an identity, plays with an edge. Space will be hard to come by. We’ve got to create it.”
