Auburn Defensive Back Cade Carlson (55), Auburn Linebacker Antonio Melendez (45), and Auburn Defensive Back Wayne Henry (26) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Photo by Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)
The Auburn Tigers finally ended a long home losing streak against Southeastern Conference opponents by beating Vanderbilt 21-15, while Alabama handled business against South Carolina 49-18 on Sept. 26.
Overall, the Auburn win was a bit of a grind. The Commadores finished with more total yards, more first downs, and more time of possession than Auburn, but Vandy only being able to cross the goal line once mixed with a crucial blocked punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter by Auburn did Vandy in.
Senior quarterback Byrum Brown was 18-27 for 140 yards and a touchdown that was to senior wide receiver Chas Nimrod in the first quarter. One good sign for Auburn was that Brown only got sacked once. After he got sacked seven times last week against Florida, it was a massive improvement in a part of the game the Tigers had been getting exposed at early this year.
The running game was also a bit slow for the Tigers. Brown had 59 yards on 10 rushing attempts and senior running back Jeramiah Cobb had 58 yards on eight attempts. The Tigers finished with 139 yards on the ground.
Sophomore running back Omar Madson only had 24 yards rushing on three carries, but he had the biggest play in the game in the blocked punt which did ultimately win Auburn the game.
“I told these guys, for as not pretty as it was at times, for you to go finish, I’m really proud of it,” said Auburn’s head coach Alex Golish during his post-game press conference adding on that finding a way to win a close game for the second time this year is a good sign of progress for them.
The Tigers schedule ramps up as they head to Nayland Stadium for their first road game of the year against the Tennessee Volunteers. It will be Auburn’s first time playing in Knoxville, Tennessee since 2013.
The slow start problem the eighth ranked Crimson Tide have had so far was not an issue against the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday night. Instead, they came out firing.
Sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell put on a show in as he went 21 for 27 for 365 yards and four touchdowns while also gathering 46 yards on the ground.
Junior wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams had his best game of the season with 98 yards and two touchdowns as well as sophomore receiver Lotzeir Brooks had two catches for 78 yards while 75 of those came on Russell’s first touchdown pass of the game to Brooks.
One of the highlights of the game was when junior tight end, and Oklahoma State transfer, Josh Ford caught a three-yard touchdown pass with one hand. It’s an SEC catch that has to be seen to believe.
The running game was a bit quieter than it has been so far this year with freshman running back EJ Crowell leading with 60 yards on six attempts. Overall, Bama only ran for 124 yards but they didn’t need to with how the Gamecocks couldn’t stop the aerial attack.
On the defensive side junior defensive back Red Morgan had a game with eight total tackles and a pick-6 while sophomore linebacker Luke Metz had 11 tackles on the night.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer in his post-game press conference praised the team for playing a complete game saying, “The way we started was promising and the way we finished, and that’s what we take a lot of pride in.”
He continued to say the second half performances have been their strength and he was happy to see that continue.
The Tide will head 82 miles west to Starkville, Mississippi to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs and their star sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor who has been making a name for himself this season. Taylor has thrown for 1192 yards and 14 touchdown passes so far this season. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ABC.
