Vanderbilt football accomplishes incredible feats after defeating Auburn
11/02/2024 06:10 PM
Vanderbilt football is for real. Fans knew they were a force after watching them earn a mammoth upset win over Alabama and threaten Texas in October, but they still wanted confirmation that this team was legitimate. Prevailing in what could have been a trap game on the road versus Auburn adds credibility to what head coach Clark Lea is accomplishing in Nashville.
Good teams find a way to win ugly when necessary, especially in a tough place to play like Jordan-Hare Stadium. And that is what Vanderbilt did on Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Diego Pavia completed less than 50 percent of his pass attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns, as the defense kept the Tigers out of the end zone after the midway point of the second quarter. The 17-7 victory lifts the Commodores into their first bowl game since 2018 and secures a special feat that had not been done in almost 70 years.
“Vanderbilt beats Alabama and Auburn in the same season for the first time since 1955,” On3’s Hayes Fawcett posted on X after the game. When the Commodores last claimed bragging rights over the state of Alabama, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States, “On the Waterfront” won Best Picture at the Oscars and the Grammy Awards were still more than three years away from being put into existence.
In other words, the world has transformed countless times over in between Vandy’s last two sweeps of the Bama SEC squads. The drought, which is now mercifully finished, underscores the prolonged period of irrelevance the Vanderbilt community suffered through for decades. There is still work to be done, but Lea’s group is on the verge of a major breakthrough.
Vanderbilt football continues their stunning ascent
The Commodores are now 6-3 for the first time since 1982, per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247 Sports, and need only one more victory to clinch their first winning campaign in the last 11 years. Reaching that mark will not be easy, though.
Vanderbilt football hosts South Carolina next Saturday, travels to No. 16 LSU after the bye week and then returns to FirstBank Stadium to square off with arch rival No. 7 Tennessee in the regular season finale. There is a realistic possibility they end 2024 at .500. But everyone doubts this rejuvenated program at their own peril.
The Commodores defeated a No. 1 ranked team this year. Such a triumph cannot even be found in black-and-white footage. They are not merely bringing fans back in time, but are rather pushing them forward to a promising new future.
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