Another competitive game ended in disappointment for Auburn on Saturday, falling to Vanderbilt 17-7.

Auburn‘s defense was great, holding the Commodores to 227 total yards, but the offense once again couldn‘t hold up. Pro Football Focus gave Auburn’s offense a 60.2 overall grade, its second lowest of the season.

PFF also graded every player that saw playing time for Auburn on Saturday. Here are the highest and lowest graded players:

Offense

Top 5

1. RB Damari Alston 74.4
2. RB Jeremiah Cobb 69.6
3. WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith 68
4. OL Percy Lewis 65.7
5. WR Robert Lewis 64.7

Analysis

Lambert-Smith is the only player on this list who played more than 13 snaps against Vanderbilt. Outside of him, the highest grade from a player that played more than 20 snaps was 62.7, posted by right tackle Izavion Miller.

Auburn‘s offense was bad against Vanderbilt and these grades show it. Cobb and Alston both did some good things when they got snaps, earning their good grades, but there‘s not much else positive to say about the offense’s performance on Saturday.

Bottom 5

1. TE Luke Deal 39
2. TE Micah Riley 47.9
3. OL Bradyn Joiner 53.4
4. WR Cam Coleman 54.3
5. OL Jeremiah Wright 54.4

Analysis

The bottom five offensive grades show a clear trend: poor blocking.

Each player on this list had a run blocking grade of 54 or lower, with the 54 coming from Coleman. After a great run blocking game against Kentucky, Auburn never replicated that against Vanderbilt.

That held the Tigers to just three yards per carry as a team. When Auburn can’t run the ball, the offense struggles, and that was the case on Saturday.

Defense

Top 5

1. S Jerrin Thompson 78.3
2. LB Austin Keys 75.4
3. DL Zykeivous Walker 74.7
4. DL Malik Blocton 72.7
5. DL Amaris Williams 71.9

Analysis

The only grade here that might be overblown is Williams’, who played just six snaps. Outside of him, the grades show how effective Auburn’s defense was against Vanderbilt.

Keys stood out most, making plays both around the line of scrimmage and in coverage. He had the highest coverage grade on the team (74.3) and the second highest tackling grade (80).

Thompson also impressed, tallying five tackles, one tackle for loss and three stops, a stat PFF define as “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense.” He also had the highest tackling grade on the team at 82.1.

Bottom 5

1. S Caleb Wooden 37.7
2. LB Eugene Asante 51.5
3. DL Quientrail Jamison-Travis 52.4
4. DL Philip Blidi 56.7
5. LB Demarcus Riddick 63.7

Analysis

Outside of a few bad plays, there wasn‘t much to criticize within the defense’s performance.

Wooden and Asante‘s low grades come from some issues in coverage with Wooden getting a 30.9 coverage grade and Asante‘s being 44.4. Asante‘s coverage problems were the most notable, getting beat for Vanderbilt’s first touchdown.

Overall, the defense played well and the fifth-lowest grade being 63.7 is a direct sign of that.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m