As you can see in the above video, Vanderbilt finished strong against Auburn, to beat the Tigers 14-13 in another SEC thriller. Auburn jumped out to an early 13-0 lead with 2 TD's in the first quarter. They missed one of the extra points, and that proved to be very costly in the end.

Vanderbilt chipped away at the lead, with a TD in each of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Vanderbilt QB Mackenzi Adams took over for starter Chris Nickson, and had the 2 key TD's for the Commodores.

Auburn's defense was known as one of the best in the country, but Vandy matched their efforts, especially late in the game. After allowing the 2 early scores, the Vanderbilt defense shut down Auburn, keeping them scoreless until the end.

As shown in the video, Brett Upson's punt late in the game was huge, pinning Auburn back inside the 3 yard line with about 2 minutes remaining. On the next play, Myron Lewis intercepted Chris Todd's pass, allowing the Commodores to kneel the ball and allow the clock to run down to zero and preserve the win.

Now that they've passed their first big test, it's not even close to over for Vanderbilt. They will move up the rankings this week, probably to the #11-15 range. They will certainly pass Wisconsin, Auburn and South Florida, at the very least. I also believe they should pass Kansas, who barely squeaked by a mediocre Iowa State team. Utah's close call against Oregon State might cost them a spot as well.

The next month on Vandy's schedule will not be easy. They play at Mississippi State next week. Although they are only 1-4 right now, the Bulldogs gave Auburn fits, allowing only 3 points and losing 3-2. Their defense is pretty solid. After that, the Commodores face the other Bulldogs. Preseason #1 Georgia hosts Vanderbilt on October 18, in what might be the toughest game of their season. A win over Georgia would be huge for this program, and would immediately propel them into the top 10, and into the National Championship discussion. Two weeks later, they host Florida, and last year's Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow will look to run all over them.


I think that Cinderella's slipper will eventually fall off, and Vanderbilt will lose to either Georgia, Florida, or both. No matter what, this season will be considered a success, and they will build on it for the future. This is a very good team, and that won't change even if they lose a couple games to good teams like Georgia and Florida. Look for them to finish the season in the top 15-20, and get invited to a quality bowl game. The former doormats of the SEC are moving up in the world.