Nov. 5, 2016
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
AUBURN, Ala. – On Saturday Vanderbilt ventured to No. 9 Auburn as a heavy underdog on the road. And while the Commodores stood tall, they fell just short of another huge SEC road victory.
Auburn (7-2, 5-1 SEC) intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur in the final moments to secure a 23-16 victory over the Commodores (4-5, 1-4 SEC). Here are three thoughts from Vanderbilt’s trip to the Plains:
1. A quarterback change shifted Auburn’s trajectory on offense.
Vanderbilt did a good job of limiting Auburn’s passing game in the first half. With starter Sean White nursing an injury, backup John Franklin III got the start for head coach Gus Malzahn and struggled in the passing game. Franklin completed just 2-of-4 passes for nine yards in the first half, after which Auburn trailed Vanderbilt, 13-10. The Tigers managed just 124 yards of offense at the break.
But Malzahn opted to start White in the second half, which reversed his team’s fortunes on offense. On the opening drive of the third quarter, White led Auburn on a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by a 21-yard Darius Slayton touchdown catch. White went 5-for-5 on that drive, which gave the Tigers a 17-13 lead. In the end, White finished 10-of-13 for 106 yards and one touchdown, and that was enough to open up Auburn’s offense. It helped the Tigers rush for 271 yards on 45 carries.
“The X-factor was really Sean White,” Mason said. “His ability to command the tempo, take care of the football, make critical throws in critical situations, that was really what he did.”
2. An overturned fumble recovery was a key moment in Auburn’s favor.
On Auburn’s first drive of the second half, Vanderbilt linebacker Zach Cunningham forced a fumble from Tigers’ running back Kamryn Pettway, which VU safety Ryan White appeared to recover. The turnover halted Auburn’s momentum out of halftime as it drove to rally from a 13-10 deficit.
But officials decided to review the fumble. After a few minutes, the call on the field was overturned after referees determined Pettway had been down prior to the turnover. Auburn returned to the field on offense, and two plays later White hit Slayton for the program’s go-ahead touchdown.
What looked like a key turnover for Vanderbilt could have become a catalyst for the second half. Instead, Auburn turned that drive into a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
3. Kyle Shurmur was an effective passer against Auburn.
A tough road environment wasn’t enough to keep Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur from finding his rhythm. He completed a career-high 24 passes (on 36 attempts) for 221 yards and one touchdown. It was just the second time this season Shurmur has thrown for more than 200 yards.
Coming off a bye week, the Commodores seemed to open up the offensive game plan, which helped Shurmur find more targets. The quarterback hit 12 different receivers against a stifling Auburn defense. “Twelve different receivers caught balls,” Mason said. “That was impressive. I thought Kyle was poised.”
Shurmur had a chance to lead Vanderbilt on a game-tying drive in the final moments. After Cunningham shockingly blocked an Auburn field-goal attempt with 1:41 to play, Vanderbilt took over for one final drive, trailing 23-16. Shurmur completed passes to receivers C.J. Duncan and Caleb Scott as the ‘Dores used their two-minute offense to creep into Auburn territory. But Vanderbilt’s last-ditch drive was halted when Auburn’s Joshua Hosley intercepted Shurmur with 36 seconds left, all but sealing the result.
Despite Shurmur’s pick, his teammates saw a rejuvenated quarterback, one who could help open up Vanderbilt’s offense in the season’s final stretch.
“We believe in [number] 14,” Duncan said. “He’s a big-time ball player. It’s all about a rhythm and being on the same page with everybody, run game and pass game. That helps out Kyle a lot…We’re not surprised by his performance at all. He can really sling it.”