What must Auburn do well defensively to beat Vanderbilt on Saturday?
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Week 4 is inching closer for the Auburn Tigers, and they are hoping to bounce back on Saturday with a win over the Vanderbilt Commodores in front of the home crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Commodores are 3-0 and riding the high of a thrilling win over NC State last Saturday. Vanderbilt trailed the Wolfpack, 31-28, with one play remaining. Vanderbilt's Cayden Daniels recovered a fumble in the end zone as time expired to solidify the 35-31 win last Saturday. Vanderbilt trailed by 17 points with just 7:04 remaining in the 3rd quarter, and responded by scoring 21 points in the 4th quarter to steal the win from the Wolfpack in Nashville.
Auburn football is favored to win this game and will hope to deliver positive results on Saturday to even up its SEC record at 1-1. Auburn will need to play at a high level every second of the game to avoid the same mistakes NC State made last week.
How can the Tigers achieve that goal? Here are several defensive keys for the Auburn Tigers ahead of their Week 4 contest vs. Vanderbilt.
Auburn must get into the backfield
Vanderbilt's pass-blocking has taken beatings over the last two weeks, allowing 19 quarterback pressures. The trio of Elijah Melendez, Xavier Atkins, and Cody Sigler have combined to record 22 pressures through three games with two sacks, and will be instrumental in exposing the Vanderbilt offensive line on Saturday.
Auburn must limit Jared Curtis' passing ability
It is no secret that Auburn has struggled to defend the pass in recent weeks. Baylor's DJ Lagway passed for 333 yards in the season opener, and Auburn's last two opponents, Southern Miss and Florida, completed over 72% of their passes on the Tigers' defense. In addition to pressuring Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis, the Auburn secondary must take away his top targets, Junior Sherrill, Jayvontay Conner, and Tristan Brown, by keeping the top on the coverage.
Auburn must stand tall in the run game
Vanderbilt's run game, as well as their run blocking, have not been the Commodores' best assets through three games. The Commodores average 4.2 yards per carry and have only 12 rushes of 10+ yards in three games. Meanwhile, Auburn's defense has graded relatively well in run defense this season, with the lone exception being last week when Florida running back Jadan Baugh rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns.
It will be important for the defense to recalibrate and slow down Vanderbilt running back Sedrick Alexander to win on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: What must Auburn do well defensively to beat Vanderbilt on Saturday?
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