Three Key Vanderbilt Commodores Defensive Stars To Watch Against Auburn Tigers
The Vanderbilt Commodores are a few days away from an SEC showdown at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The team will hit the road on Saturday to take on the Auburn Tigers, who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Texas Longhorns.
The Commodores (5-3, 3-1 in SEC) are one win away from playing in their first bowl game since 2018. As they look to shake off last week’s close defeat to fifth-ranked Texas, they shift their focus to Auburn.
Vanderbilt’s defense has made drastic improvements this season under coach Clark Lea. They sit 47th in the country in total defense, allowing just 339 yards per game. They will be in for a challenge as their key offensive players such as star running back Jarquez Hunter is coming off a career game.
The Tigers (3-5, 1-3) finally picked up their first conference win of the season last week in a rebound game against the Kentucky Wildcats. In their second season under head coach Hugh Freeze, the team is starting to find its identity as it looks to salvage its season and reach bowl season.
Overall, Auburn has had one of the top defenses in the country. The team is 30th in the nation in total defense, allowing only 325 yards per game as a unit. They also are one of the best teams when it comes to contested plays as a defense. Their team will look to stop the dynamic dual-threat quarterback Diego Pavia this Saturday and move to 2-3 in the conference.
Here are the defensive players to watch for both teams entering Saturday’s game.
Vanderbilt
Randon Fontenette
The sophomore linebacker from Freeport, Texas, had a great game last week against the Longhorns and will need to continue to carry the momentum into Auburn on Saturday. His eight total tackles and 1.5 sacks were crucial for keeping the Dores in the game until the final drive this past weekend.
Bryan Longwell
There is a trend here this weekend, as some of the key players are the team’s leading tacklers. Bryan Longwell, a sophomore linebacker from Nashville, leads the program with 56 total tackles. The importance behind this heading into this week is the absolute need to be able to bring down Tigers running back Hunter early and often. While the linebacking core is usually the first to the gap on running plays, it will be crucial to make first-contact tackles before he can burst into the open field.
Nicholas Rinaldi
If the Commodores can do their primary job of slowing down the Auburn running game on Saturday, the Tigers will be forced to make quarterback Payton Throne the one who would have to make the plays. If that's the case, Nicholas Rinaldi could have a big day. The junior linebacker from Dover, Massachusetts, leads the team with four sacks on the season. The Vanderbilt defense sacked Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers four times last week, doubling the team’s season average per game. Rinaldi picked up one of them, moving to a four-game streak with recording one.
Auburn
Jay Crawford
The freshman defensive back helped the Tigers win the turnover battle last week by picking up his first interception of his college career against the Wildcats. Although he only has 12 tackles on the season, Crawford has four pass deflections and has played great off-ball coverage on his opposing receiver for just his first year playing in the toughest conference in football.
Keldric Faulk
The sophomore defensive lineman leads the team with seven sacks on the season, including two last week in the win over Kentucky. When Pavia sets back to pass, bringing pressure from someone like Faulk is going to have a significant impact on the Tigers. He has pushed around some of the best offensive lines in the SEC so far this season and could be a nightmare for the Commodores this Saturday.
Jalen McLeod
He is another big man up on the defensive front who has found success by picking up his fifth sack of the year for the third season in a row. The senior nose tackle from Washington, D.C., did not have much of an impact last week but will be another critical piece in driving Pavia outside the pocket and forcing him to use his feet, even in designed passing plays.
