Will Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt football beat Auburn minus Hugh Freeze? Our score prediction
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Will Auburn be galvanized by a coaching change or will the Tigers give up? That’s a primary question facing Vanderbilt football as it returns to FirstBank Stadium.
No. 16 Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2 SEC) will play Auburn (4-5, 1-5) on Nov. 8 (3 p.m. CT, SEC Network).
What was originally going to be a chance for Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia to increase his record to 4-0 against Hugh Freeze will be no more, as Freeze was fired following a Nov. 1 loss to Kentucky. Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is the interim coach.
Auburn is also amid a quarterback controversy as Ashton Daniels is set to start once again over Jackson Arnold, who lost his job earlier in the season.
Vanderbilt lost its last game on Nov. 1 at Texas.
Here’s our prediction for the matchup.
Vanderbilt vs Auburn prediction
Auburn’s season has been full of controversy with a quarterback competition and Freeze’s firing. Ultimately, the Tigers have excelled defensively but struggled on offense. This type of team hasn’t been a slam dunk for Vanderbilt, which has struggled against teams with good run defenses this season. But Auburn hasn’t played well offensively, so as long as the Commodores can score a moderate number of points, they should be able to win this matchup.
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Vanderbilt vs Auburn scouting report
Why Vanderbilt has an advantage: Auburn has instability after the coaching change and has the second-worst yards per game in the SEC. The Commodores will likely be happy to see a team that struggles offensively after a poor defensive performance against Texas. Vanderbilt is back at home, where it is undefeated this season.
Why Auburn has an advantage: Auburn has a stout run defense. Missouri and Texas did too, and Vanderbilt struggled against both teams despite eventually beating Missouri. There’s also a possibility that the firing of Freeze galvanized Auburn to play better. The Tigers have several good wide receivers and could try to exploit the same short passing game that Texas did.
Vanderbilt vs Auburn injury updates
For the Commodores, several reserve players are out and all have missed several games. Those out are Yilanan Ouattara, Drew Dickey, Vanzale Hinton, Chase Gillespie and Nikhil Jefferson.
Vanderbilt vs Auburn score prediction
Vanderbilt 24, Auburn 7
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt vs Auburn prediction, will Diego Pavia win without Hugh Freeze?
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