Vanderbilt Commodores vs Auburn Tigers Match Player Stats On Nov 05, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 5, 2016

Vanderbilt went toe to toe with Auburn on the road, but the Tigers hung on to thwart a last-minute drive and preserve a 23-16 victory over Vanderbilt at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Sean White came off the bench to throw the go-ahead touchdown early in the second half, kicker Daniel Carlson hit three field goals and running back Kamryn Pettway rushed 25 times for 173 yards as Auburn, No. 9 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, stayed in the hunt for a playoff berth.

With 1:41 left in the game, Carlson looked poised to hit a 36-yard field goal that would have given the Tigers a likely-insurmountable lead. But Commodores linebacker Zach Cunningham timed the snap perfectly, leapt over players on both lines of scrimmages and swatted the kick.

Quarterback Kyle Shurmur led Vanderbilt to the Auburn 30, but was picked by Tigers cornerback Josh Holsey with 36 seconds left.

After passing for just nine yards in the first half with surprise starter John Franklin III, Auburn went to its regular starter, White, to open the second half. After replay officials overturned what was ruled on the field as a fumble by running back Kerryon Johnson that Cunningham forced, White hit wide-open receiver Darius Slayton with a 21-yard scoring strike on the right side of the end zone two plays later to give the Tigers a 17-13 lead.

Carlson easily connected on a 53-yarder to give the Tigers their biggest lead at 20-13 with 5:57 left in the third quarter.

But the Commodores wouldn't quit, and kicker Tommy Openshaw connected from 47 early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to four.

In the first half, Vanderbilt's LaDarius Wiley forced a fumble that Cunningham recovered. Nine plays later, Shurmur hit tight end Jared Pinkney for an 8-yard score.

Auburn's Johnson answered with a 3-yard scoring run, and Carlson and Openshaw traded field goals as Vanderbilt took a 13-10 lead at half.

Pettway became the first Auburn player to top 150 yards in four-straight games since Bo Jackson. That included a 60-yard run to set up the field goal that Cunningham blocked, one on which Pettway would have scored on if not for pulling up lame on the play.

NOTES: Auburn QB Sean White sustained a shoulder injury, which caused him to miss practice all week. ... Auburn starting MLB Deshawn Davis was ejected for targeting at the 7:53 mark of the first quarter for a hit on VU WR Kalija Lipscomb. ... Auburn didn't throw a pass until its 12th snap. ... Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb, the SEC's second-leading rusher coming in, played with a heavily-taped left ankle. Ankle injuries have plagued Webb for about a month now.