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Auburn Falls in Overtime to Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led a double-digit comeback against Auburn. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Auburn Falls in Overtime to Vanderbilt

Originally posted on Auburn Tigers on SI  |  By Brooks Crew  |  Last updated Nov 8, 2025 9:28 PM ET

The newly DJ Durkin-led Auburn Tigers traveled to Nashville on Saturday for a matchup against the 16th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores. Many quickly wrote off the game as another loss for the Tigers, Durkin’s squad managed to force overtime before falling to the Commodores, 45-38.

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who threw for 377 yards and three scores hit Cole Spence for a four-yard score to begin overtime before Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels threw an incomplete pass intended for Cam Coleman on fourth down to end the game.

This game was quite the inverse of what most Auburn games have been this season, as Auburn’s defense has made a habit of keeping the team alive despite offensive struggles.

Against Vanderbilt, Auburn’s offense accumulated over 560 yards, with Daniels throwing for 353 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 89 more yards and two touchdowns. Jeremiah Cobb had a strong game as well, rushing for 115 yards on 16 attempts, good for an average of over seven yards per carry.

Auburn receivers Eric Singleton Jr. and Cam Coleman dominated the stat sheet; Singleton hauled in 11 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Coleman managed 10 receptions for 143 yards, a touchdown and a game-tying two-point conversion.

The defense, on the other hand, allowed a season-high 45 points, nearly doubling the maximum number of points the team had allowed in a single game this season as Diego Pavia accounted for 489 yards of offense and four total touchdowns.

The Tigers started off the game strong, forcing Vanderbilt to punt before jumping to a 7-0 lead courtesy of an Singleton 14-yard reception from Daniels, who was making just his second start as an Auburn Tiger.

The first quarter wrapped with the Tigers holding on to their seven-point lead, but the Commodores opened second quarter scoring with a field goal. The Tigers were quick to respond with a Daniels rushing touchdown on the following drive.

The teams traded scores with a field goal from Auburn's Alex McPherson and a touchdown pass from Pavia to close the half, and the Tigers headed into the locker room up 20-10.

Auburn scored on every single offensive drive in the first half, but the momentum didn’t immediately carry into the second half. The Tigers went three-and-out to start the half, and Vanderbilt was quick to respond with a touchdown rush, cutting the Tigers’ lead to just three.

From there, the heavyweight Commodores traded blows with the surprisingly resilient Tigers; Auburn kicked a field goal to extend the lead to six and Vanderbilt responded with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Pavia to Tre Richardson to take the lead.

Both teams traded punts until third quarter scoring closed with an Auburn touchdown. Vanderbilt’s following drive took just five plays to go 75 yards and score with a rush from Pavia, and the Tigers responded by going three-and-out for the second time before the teams traded touchdowns to knot the game up at 38.

Notably, Cam Coleman was almost single-handedly (pun intended) responsible for the Tigers tying the game, making back-to-back incredible one-handed catches for a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

The Commodores managed to drive all the way down to the Auburn 28-yard line as time wound down under two minutes, but Clark Lea and company elected to go for a fourth-down conversion instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal. On the play, Pavia seemed to trip over his own feet, leading to a turnover on downs.

Auburn had a chance to walk off the game with just over a minute on the clock, but a series of penalties made it quite difficult for the Tigers to garner momentum, leading to overtime.

In overtime, Vanderbilt wasted no time, taking the lead with just three plays, and the Tigers were unable to respond, leading to a final score of 45-38.

This loss drops Auburn to 4-6 and 1-6 in SEC play in 2025, but there have clearly been significant improvements from the team that managed just three points against Kentucky last week. With help from offensive playcaller Derrick Nix, interim head coach DJ Durkin clearly has the Tigers' offense moving in the right direction but questions now arise with the defense.

Auburn football will be on a bye this coming week, before heading back home to the Plains to take on Mercer, one loss away from missing a bowl game.

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This article first appeared on Auburn Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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