AUBURN | All the talk entering Saturday's matchup against Vanderbilt was if Auburn's defense could stop Diego Pavia. The Commodores' quarterback had done some magical things all season long, and as Auburn fans will remember, had his way with the Tigers last season while playing for New Mexico State.

It was the biggest challenge facing Hugh Freeze's squad if they wanted to win its second-straight game.

Well, the defense was up to the task, holding Pavia down while keeping Auburn's offense in the game. Keldric Faulk and company made life a nightmare for the quarterback all afternoon long, only allowing him to do what he's done to opposing defenses a couple of times. It wasn't the same Pavia that we saw last season.

But the offense couldn't pay their defensive teammates back. Payton Thorne missed open receivers, the offensive line played as if they read too many good things about themselves this week after the Kentucky performance and Jarquez Hunter, possibly limping due to an injury, was nonexistent.

It was one of the poorest performances of offense Auburn has displayed, especially during the Freeze era. Before the first play of the fourth quarter, the Tigers were a woeful 0-for-9 on third down. Whenever there was some momentum, the same old problems propped back up. Holding penalties and sacks: the tune that the Tigers have been playing all season.

Still, the defense was giving it their all. Pavia couldn't solve what Auburn was doing until, and stop me if you've heard this before, the Tigers were finally worn down, and some questionable officiating came into play. With the deficit still at three points, Vanderbilt decided to kick a field goal to make it a six-point game. Despite the lackluster offense, Auburn was going to have the ball with five-plus minutes to play and a chance to win it with a touchdown.

Faulk, who had played stellar all day, made the mistake of using a teammate's back to jump over the line of scrimmage. First down, Vandy. A few plays later, Pavia found Eli Stowers for the inevitable game-clinching touchdown.

The defense didn't deserve this, not like this. And not after playing one of their best games against a quarterback that had haunted defenses all year. DJ Durkin's bunch did everything to keep the Tigers in the game, but the offense took that silver spoon handed to them and threw it in the trash.

With another losing season facing the Tigers, you have to ask yourself what Freeze should do the rest of the season at the quarterback position. Thorne has proven time and again that he is not the answer. Could Hank Brown get some experience in the final three games, possibly rebounding from the awful first half against Arkansas that saw him being benched?

Whatever the coaching staff decides to do, it has to be something or else this season, if it hasn't already, goes down the drain.

Auburn's defense should be proud and hold their heads high. The offense? Well, they owe the defense an apology.