Tom Stephenson blogs about Vanderbilt sports at Anchor of Gold and is also a lawyer because to go to Vanderbilt and care about sports you have to be a lawyer. It’s the rules. This is Tom’s 3rd time on the Blogle and he’s good at asking questions to make us question ourselves, I think it’s the lawyer thing. 
1. What is a Vanderbilt fan’s first thought of Auburn football right now?
I don’t know. Kind of a dumpster fire? Poorly run? Why the hell was Hugh Freeze hired in the first place?
2. What’s the vibe like in Nashville for this above average Vanderbilt team?
Well, they’re selling out the stadium right now, and it’s not 75% visiting fans either. It’s really something. There was a time when other SEC fanbases would look at us and say “lol Vandy has fans?” and right now… we do? It’s weird. People are coming out of the woodwork to support the football team. Where were all of these people for the last, I don’t know, decade?
3. What do you honestly think about Diego Pavia?
I like the guy, and what he’s done for the Vanderbilt football program. I do not like the precedent that has been set by the lawsuit, for a few reasons. (Lawyer talk: bad facts make bad law.) I also do not like that I have had to learn who Theo Von is.
4. Do you feel Auburn’s change at the coaching position makes them more vulnerable or scarier this weekend?
Scarier if only because it adds an element of unpredictability. With Hugh, at least we knew we were getting a trash offense and a team that had probably quit on the coach. With Durkin… hell, I don’t know. You feel like they’re probably going to go deep in their bag this weekend.
5. Who are two unheralded Commodores that Auburn fans should lookout for and why?
On offense, Makhilyn Young has only gotten 35 carries all season, but five of them have gone for touchdowns. He’s a change of pace from Sedrick Alexander (more of a power runner and every-down back) but a threat to hit a home run any time he touches the ball. On the defensive side, Zaylin Wood just gives you quality play on the defensive line with a havoc play or two every game.
6. Who are two Auburn Tigers that scare you the most and why?
Rayshawn Pleasant scares me, because guys with multiple career kick return touchdowns always scare me and our kicker has a bad habit of kickoffs that can be returned. And Xavier Atkins… yeesh, I hope we can block that guy.
7. Where do you see each team having an advantage over the other?
Vandy’s defense isn’t great, but they have an advantage over Auburn’s offense just because the latter is dreadful. Auburn’s defense might actually be able to contain the Vanderbilt run game, and if there’s a way to slow down Vanderbilt’s offense it’s to force them into passing downs.
8. What’s your analysis and score prediction for this game?
This one is going to be a slog. I suppose I’m concerned that Auburn is going to play with nothing to lose, but D.J. Durkin seems like the kind of interim who’s going to lean into making this one hideous to watch. The difference is, Vanderbilt will put together a couple of long drives and might be able to find a home run and Auburn’s offense… won’t. I’m predicting Vanderbilt to win by something like 17-6.
9. Where do you see Auburn and Vanderbilt ending up this season?
I can very much see Vanderbilt winning two of its final three and getting a bowl win, which would give them the first 10-win season in school history. Auburn… woof. If they don’t win this Saturday, they’re looking at 5-7. Hell, are you confident they’ll beat Mercer?
10. Lastly, what do you think about Hugh Freeze?
I never did understand why Hugh got another SEC job, and it’s not even about (gestures broadly at various nonsense). Yeah he had a 10-win season a decade ago, with a recruiting class that he bought back when that was frowned upon. Then those guys left, he went 5-7, got himself fired by texting hookers on a university-issued cell phone… and that’s the guy you wanted running your football program in 2023?
The main selling point of Hugh was that he was willing to buy players and now everyone’s doing that, and he had a gimmicky offense that everyone had figured out by the end of his Ole Miss tenure. I mean, if the point was to hire a guy who was good a decade ago but everyone had since figured out… hell, why did you get rid of Gus then?
