Initial takeaways from Auburn beating Vanderbilt

Auburn football defeated Vanderbilt in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

Here are some initial takeaways from the win:

- Auburn's Defense Overcame Being On The Field A Long Time

The Auburn defense had to overcome being on the field a long time in this one. Vanderbilt dominated time of possession during the game. Unfortunately for the Commodores, this did not lead to a lot of points. The Tigers' defense entered the playing field with 9:40 left in the game after they already had been on the field for more than 34 minutes.

- The Auburn Offense Needs To Find A Way To Be More Consistent

The lack of rhythm and inconsistency on offense for Auburn continues to show up against Power Four teams. The Tigers are stumbling right out of the gate in games and getting off to really slow starts. Getting behind the chains early often limits the Tigers' desire to run an up tempo offense quite a bit. Their inability to establish drives on a consistent basis played a major role in their defense being on the field so much due to the amount of quick drives they had.

- Auburn's Commitment To Run Game Pays Off

Auburn football stayed committed to running the football in this one more than the Tigers had in previous games. This began to pay off in the second half as Jeremiah Cobb finally was able to get some running room. Running the football was not pretty at all at times in this one for the Tigers, but Auburn continued to try to run the football. It helped them close this one out.

- Auburn Has A Pair Of Consistent Wideouts

Chas Nimrod and Keshaun Singleton are proving to be consistent pass catchers for the Tigers. The emergence of these two, combined with their familiarity with Brown, has given Auburn something it can lean on offensively.

- Byrum Brown Has To Put More Of An Emphasis On Protecting The Football

Byrum Brown continues to consistently turn the football over. He threw one interception early in this one. Another throw he made looked destined to be picked off but was not. The interception he threw early came as a result of a tipped pass, but teh message remains the same. Auburn is not a team equipped to bounce back from having its quarterback put the football in harms way on a consistent basis.