A Possession Game – AuburnSports: Auburn Tigers Football & Basketball Recruiting

AUBURN | Vanderbilt leads the SEC in time of possession and that's a big concern for Hugh Freeze.

He only has to look back to last year's 31-10 loss to New Mexico State, when the Aggies were outscored 38-10 and limited Auburn to just 45 offensive plays.

Former NMSU coach Jerry Kill and quarterback Diego Pavia are both now at Vanderbilt and run a similar offense.

They have helped revitalize a Commodore program that is 5-3 this season, including a 40-35 win over No. 1 Alabama four weeks ago. In that win, VU had 42:08 time of possession and limited the Tide to 45 offensive plays.

“Last year when we played him, I think the first time we touched the ball was in the first quarter with five minutes and five seconds left. “It’s uncomfortable,” Freeze said. “So they know who they are and they're fine being who they are.

“And then — (Pavia) moves and makes plays and is smart, smart and tough. Here too, everyone has to fulfill their task on every single move. Here it's three yards on a broken play, and it's four yards, and it's third-and-3, and they get three and a half. A lot of this is systemic. They are very well trained.”

One of the best ways to counter Vandy's ball control offense, aside from forcing a few threes, is to take advantage of their possessions on offense.

“It actually reinforces that we need to get the ball in the end zone, so we need to make those plays count,” tight end Luke Deal said. “If they're trying to limit us on our plays, let's make those plays explosive, let's make those plays count and really hone our execution because if you have 40 plays and 10 of them are messed up, you're not going to “win.” a football game.”

Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.