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Saturday, Sep. 30 2:00pm ET Two special teams TDs highlight Auburn rout | |||
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BOX SCORE
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Auburn began the season hoping to win a few more games than last year, while Vanderbilt planned to go to a bowl. Things sure have changed since then. Ben Leard threw two touchdown passes and Rudi Johnson ran for 128 yards as Auburn (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) beat Vanderbilt 33-0 on Saturday. Auburn (5-0 overall, 3-0 SEC) beat Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-3) every way it could. In addition to Leard's touchdown throws of 48 yards to Marcel Willis and 7 yards to Deandre Green, the Tigers scored 19 points off special teams, including a fake punt and a blocked punt. Auburn held the Commodores to 152 yards offense, only 65 on the ground. "I'm really disappointed in our basic overall effort. We made a lot of mistakes," said Vandy coach Woody Widenhofer, who had high hopes for a bowl trip and even talked about the Commodores winning the SEC. "We're not this bad." Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said he doesn't have a great team, just one that's working together. "I don't think there is anybody in this conference playing as well as a group of players," Tuberville said. Auburn's last shutout was in 1998, 17-0 over an Ole Miss team coached by Tuberville, who led the Tigers to a 5-6 record last season in his first year at Auburn. Johnson, the SEC's leading rusher with 147 yards per game, ran for more than 100 yards for the fifth straight time, becoming the first Auburn back to do that since Brent Fullwood in 1986. Vanderbilt played the entire first half on its own side of the 50, and the Commodores never penetrated beyond the Auburn 41. That third-quarter drive ended in a punt. Auburn so dominated that many fans weren't paying attention by early in the fourth quarter, cheering instead for a mock fight between the team mascots on the sideline. The Tigers won that battle, too. Already up 3-0 early in the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Damon Duval, Auburn lined up for what would have been a 29-yard field goal by Duval. But Duval took the snap and looked downfield for a 12-yard pass to Lorenzo Diamond, who had the right side of the end zone all to himself. "I wasn't nervous, we ran the fake last year," Duval said. "With coach Tuberville you never know. There's always something in the game plan." After swapping punts, Auburn backed up Vanderbilt on its own 8, forcing Joe Webb to punt from his own end zone. Reggie Torbor blocked the kick, and Casinious Moore fell on the ball for the touchdown. Auburn added 2 more points on special teams late in the game, when Vanderbilt was again forced to punt from its own end zone. The snap sailed over Webb's head, giving Auburn the safety. Playing with a bruised hip, Leard -- the SEC leader in passing efficiency -- completed 14 of 27 pass attempts for 202 yards with no interceptions. Backup Jeff Klein pulled mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-5 for 13 yards and one interception. Playing under heavy pressure all day, Vanderbilt starter Greg Zolman completed 11 of 25 passes for 66 yards and no interceptions. Backup Tim Olmstead was 4-of-9 for 21 yards, also with no interceptions. Vanderbilt's Dan Stricker, the nation's second-leading receiver with an average of nearly 20 yards a catch, wasn't a factor. He caught only two passes for 10 yards. "Football is a humble sport. You can come from an emotional high to an emotional low," Stricker said. "Emotionally, this was our worst loss." |
ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Vanderbilt Clubhouse Auburn Clubhouse | ||
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