VANDERBILT 14, AUBURN 13: PLAYS OF THE GAME

Here are some of the biggest plays of Saturday night's Vanderbilt-Auburn game in Nashville:

FIRST QUARTER

• Bobby Johnson elects to receive. He struggles through poor field position in the first half and escapes with only a six-point deficit. Then he starts the half by kicking to Auburn and keeping the Tigers in a hole for the rest of the game.

• After picking up 40 yards on his first three carries of the game and then setting up the Tigers in a 1st and Goal at the 4 yard line, Ben Tate gets only 3 yards in four carries, turning the ball over to the Commodores on downs and giving Vanderbilt its third dramatic goal line stand in its last two games.

• Chris Nickson throws an ill-advised pass, which is picked off by Jeraud Powers. By late in the second quarter, both Nickson and Powers would be out of the game with injuries.

• The Auburn kicker misses the PAT after the Tigers' second touchdown. That would be the difference in the game.

SECOND QUARTER

• D.J. Moore breaks loose on a punt return that puts the Commodores in striking distance.

• Nickson takes himself out of the game late in the first half and backup MacKenzi Adams trots in and starts threading the needle, hitting all four of his passes for 41 yards:

• Adams fires an 11-yard pass to Sean Walker for a first down.

• Adams fires a 12-yard pass to tight end Brandon Barden, who dives for extra yardage; then fires a 3-yard pass to Barden.

• After taking a sack, Adams fires a 15-yard TD pass to Justin Wheeler.


THIRD QUARTER

• After missing a field goal and then getting the ball back, the Commodores drove behind Adams' legs, picking up 15 yards on two carries, and his arm, hitting 6 of 8 passes for another 41 yards:

• Two passes to Justin Wheeler, including a 13- and an 18-yarder.

• A scooping first down grab by George Smith that was so spectacular it had to be reviewed by officials to be believed.

• Adams' precision touchdown pass to Brandon Barden from a yard out.

• Two Auburn penalties — a 10-yard hold and a 5-yard delay — kept the Tigers out of field goal range late in the third quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Myron Lewis had a huge sack of Kodi Burns for a loss of 11 yards that set up a 4th and 19 on the Auburn 41. Minutes later, he sealed the game with an interception.

• Punter Brett Upson pinned the Tigers back to the Auburn 8 yard line in the middle of the fourth quarter then pinned them back to the AU 3 with about a minute left. Lewis picked off Todd on the next play.