4 Auburn Standouts Who Made the Difference Against Vanderbilt

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The Auburn Tigers found a way to win in conference play on Saturday as they took down the Vanderbilt Commodores 21-15 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

The team picked up their first SEC home win in nearly two years, dating back to November of 2024. Alex Golesh moved his squad to 3-1 on the season and rebounded nicely after their SEC opener loss at home to the Florida Gators. 

It wasn't just the coaching staff who vastly improved from week 3 to week 4, as many players on the field gave us a glimpse of what this team is truly capable of. 

Here are four players from Saturday's win against Vanderbilt that shined in a big way. 

Keshaun Singleton, wide receiver. 

Singleton might not have shined the way you would expect on the box score, but he was clearly the unsung hero of the fourth quarter for the Auburn Tigers. 

When the team needed a crucial reception on a third down, Byrum Brown found one of his favorite receivers in Singleton for arguably the biggest catch of the game. The 20-yard pass on third and five brought the Tigers to the 50-yard line and allowed the team to run out the rest of the clock. 

On the ultimate blow to the Vanderbilt Commodores, Jeremiah Cobb had a 21-yard rush to seal the deal right before the two-minute timeout. The run would have been stopped at the line of scrimmage if it wasn't for an absolutely perfect block by Singleton against the outside linebacker. 

Chas Nimrod, wide receiver. 

Nimrod picked up his first touchdown reception of the season and got the Tigers on the board for the first time on Saturday. 

He caught a 33-yard pass from Byrum Brown in the first quarter. On the third drive of the game for the Auburn offense, it couldn't have come at a better time, as the drive immediately followed a Byrum Brown interception. His touchdown connection with the Tigers' quarterback certainly boosted the confidence and gave the momentum back to the Tigers on their home field. 

Xavier Atkins, linebacker. 

After struggling in a big way last week against the Florida Gators, Xavier Atkins stepped up in a big way on Saturday. 

The all-American linebacker was everywhere against freshman quarterback Jared Curtis and caused havoc throughout the entire game. 

After recording five missed tackles against Florida, Atkins turned it around and recorded seven tackles, and only missed two against the Commodores. 

Omar Mabson, Runningback

The sophomore running back had a good play on offense on Saturday, but that's not why he made this list. Mabson had three rushes for 24 yards, including a 19-yard rush to really help establish the run game early in its small capacity for the Tigers. 

But his special teams contribution truly mattered and helped Auburn win the game. 

Mabson blocked the punt against Vanderbilt's Tyler Ebel, allowing Tigers Cade Carlson to scoop and score on a very momentum-turning play. 

These four standouts and the rest of the Auburn Tigers will look for their second SEC win and their first on the road this season as they take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville in a potentially very emotional reunion for Alex Golesh. The Tigers' head coach was an offensive coordinator on Tennessee's staff under Josh Heupel before taking the job at South Florida and ultimately on the Plains. 

Kickoff for Saturday in Knoxville is scheduled for 2:30 pm Central Time and will be available on ESPN. 

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