THE Auburn Tigers come home after a long road trip for a showdown with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Tigers had a convincing win over the Commodores on the road in Nashville last season, but this is a much different Vanderbilt team than the last time they met.

The Commodores upset Alabama for their first win against a top-ranked team in program history. They also took a top five team in Texas all the way.

Vanderbilt also comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium with a familiar foe.

Diego Pavia, the quarterback who led New Mexico State to his dominant upset over Auburn at home last year. Now he calls Nashville home and will be looking for his third win against Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze in as many seasons.

“I’m sick of watching this quarterback,” Freeze said. “I’ve had enough of him. What a competitor he is.

Freeze praised Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea for getting the team playing at its highest level in some time.

“What a job Clark Lea and his team did there,” Freeze said. “To be in the games and have a chance to win every game they play against the national elite is so impressive. You have time to really establish your culture, your locker room and the people who believe in your system.

It’s no secret that the Commodores have a different look this season and have ended the long-held assumption that they would be an automatic win on the schedule for most SEC teams. They are arguably more than a trap game. They pose a serious threat.

“They play with so much confidence and they know who they are,” Freeze said.

The familiar faces don’t stop at quarterback. Chris Klenakis, Vanderbilt’s offensive line coach, held the same position under Freeze at Liberty. While this could be an advantage for Liberty, it can also be an advantage for the Tigers.

This could give the Auburn coaching staff better knowledge of the Commodores personnel and what they will try to do. But as Freeze knows him well, he knows he’s facing a quality O-line.

“He’s a tremendous coach and he does a great job with their offensive line in the running game,” Freeze said.

The Tigers and Commodores face off at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT. The TV show is available on SEC Network.