NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Quarterback Diego Pavia rallied No. 15/16 Vanderbilt from a 17-3 first half deficit to a thrilling 45-38 overtime win over Auburn, earning the Commodores their eighth win of the season at a sold-out FirstBank Stadium on Saturday.
Pavia accounted for a career-best 489 yards of offense, including a career-high 377 yards passing and 112 rushing yards. He became the first Vanderbilt player to register 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in program history. Pavia also accounted for four touchdowns – one rushing and three passing. As an offense, Vanderbilt totaled 544 total yards – the most for the program against an SEC opponent since 2016 (608 vs. Tennessee). The 45 points were the most scored against the Auburn defense this year.
Pavia’s receivers posted career numbers as well. Tight end Eli Stowers recorded a career-best 12 receptions for 122 yards and wide receiver Tre Richardson recorded 124 receiving yards, including a 57-yard scoring strike, on only three receptions.
Auburn carried a 20-10 halftime lead before Vanderbilt came roaring back to take a 31-30 advantage early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers would equalize the score at 38 with 5:27 remaining in regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
Vanderbilt took the field first in overtime and Pavia connected with tight end Cole Spence on a jump pass from the 4-yard line to take a 45-38 lead. On Auburn’s possession, the Tigers drove to the 12-yard line before failing on a fourth down pass to the end zone.
The Commodore defense was led by linebacker Bryan Longwell (13 tackles) and defensive back Randon Fontenette, who tallied a season-high eight stops. The defense accounted for five stops in the second half and overtime to secure the win.
The win moves Vanderbilt to 8-2, which is the first time registering eight wins in a season since 2013 when the team totaled nine victories. The Commodores are 8-2 through their first 10 games of the season for the first time since 1930. Saturday’s win also marked back-to-back seasons beating Auburn for the first since the 1949-50 campaigns.
Vanderbilt will be off next weekend and are back in action on Nov. 22 when Kentucky visits FirstBank Stadium.
