AUBURN | Vanderbilt leads the SEC in time of possession and that’s a big concern for Hugh Freeze.

He only has to look back at last year’s 31-10 loss to New Mexico State when the Aggies had possession for 38:10 and limited Auburn to just 45 offensive plays.

Former NMSU coach Jerry Kill and quarterback Diego Pavia are both at Vanderbilt now and running a similar offense.

They’ve helped revitalize a Commodore program that’s 5-3 on the season including a 40-35 win over No. 1 Alabama four weeks ago. In that win, VU had 42:08 time of possession and limited the Tide to 45 offensive play.

“Last year when we played him, the first time we touched the ball in the first quarter I believe was with five minutes and five seconds left. That's uncomfortable,” said Freeze. “So they know who they are, and they're good being who they are.

“And then he just -- (Pavia) moves and makes plays and is savvy and smart and tough. Again, makes everybody do their assignment on every single play. It's three yards here on a broken play, and it's four yards, and it's third-and-3, and they get three-and-a-half. A lot of it is due to the system. They're very well coached.”

One of the best ways to counter Vandy’s ball control offense, other than forcing some three-and-outs, is by taking advantage of your possessions on offense.

“It actually emphasizes that we've got to get the ball in the end zone, so we've got to make those plays count,” said tight end Luke Deal. “If they try to limit us on our plays, let's make those plays explosive, let's make those plays count and really hone into our execution, because if you have 40 plays and 10 of them are mess ups, you're not going to win a football game.”

Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network.