Can Auburn beat Ole Miss? After three consecutive losses, that is a question many among the Auburn faith are asking. The Tigers are coming off a 48-18 defeat at the hands of LSU, and the Tigers from the plains never seemed to be in the game. LSU got off to a 17-0 start, and Auburn never recovered. At least this Saturday Auburn will be the host team when Ole Miss comes to town for a 6 p.m. Central kickoff on ESPN. Auburn currently sits at 3-3 and is looking to turn around the season. Ole Miss is 5-1 and is coming off the off week. They are looking to stay in the SEC West race and are currently ranked 13th in the AP Poll.
Can Auburn beat Ole Miss?
The Subplot
The match-up features an interesting subplot and might be the reason the game is in primetime on the worldwide leader in sports. The two head coaches will take center stage. First with Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze. Coach Freeze spent five seasons as the Rebels head coach and went 39-25 on the field. 27 of those victories were vacated due to NCAA violations.
Then enter Lane Kiffin. Before Freeze was named head coach many believed Kiffin would be the next Auburn head coach. It all came to a head during Thanksgiving week going into the annual Egg Bowl. There were even some speculations after the rivalry game that Kiffin would be heading to Auburn. For whatever reason, he decided to stay in Oxford, Mississippi and that leaves the two programs with the leaders they have now. Kiffin should receive an interesting reaction from the Auburn faithful at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn Offense vs Ole Miss Defense
To say the Auburn offense has struggled this season is an understatement. It has been downright bad at times. That statement is especially true concerning the passing game featuring both Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford. The Tigers rank last in the SEC in passing with 155.8 yards per game. It would be easy to blame the quarterbacks, but the receivers have not helped. Drops have been a major issue, and this was especially the case against Georgia. The Ole Miss pass rush could be a problem for Auburn with the Rebels ranking fourth with 22 on the season. They are led by linebacker Suntarine Perkins with 3.5 and defensive end Issac Ukwu with three.
Overall, Ole Miss ranks tenth in the conference in total defense giving up 388.3 yards per game. They rank eighth versus the run, which is the strength of the Auburn offense. The Tigers are third in the SEC with 191.5 rushing yards per game despite not committing to it at times. Freeze has typically leaned more on the pass at Ole Miss and Liberty but should turn to his rush attack. That begins with Jarquez Hunter who is yet to break out this season. Hunter leads all running backs with 218 yards and three touchdowns. The overall leading rusher on the team is Thorne with 225. Ashford is fourth on the team in the category. Getting Hunter going along with the quarterback run game should be the focus offensively.
Auburn Defense vs Ole Miss Offense
The Auburn defense was helpless against Jayden Daniels and the LSU offense in week seven. While that is discouraging, no one has been able to stop the LSU offense this season. Ole Miss brings a new challenge. LSU can run the ball but is more of a pass-first offense. The Rebels will look to get the run game going with Quinshon Judkins, Ulysses Bentley, and quarterback Jaxson Dart. They rank fourth in the SEC with 183.3 yards per game on the ground. Last season against Auburn, Ole Miss rushed for 448 yards led by Judkins with 139 and two scores. Auburn is 12th in the SEC giving up 146.8 yards a game on the ground.
The strength of the Auburn defense has been against the pass and scoring. The pass defense is ranked sixth giving up 216 yards, and 23.2 points per game. They have found success at intercepting opposing passers. Auburn ranks fourth with seven, and senior cornerback Jaylin Simpson has four. Simpson also has 20 tackles this season but has been dealing with a calf injury per Freeze during one of his press conferences this week.
Causing turnovers will be key against Dart, but the second-year starter has been much better at protecting the football this season. He has only thrown two interceptions and has been key in the Rebels 5-1 start. Dart had a great performance in the 54-49 win over LSU passing for 389 yards and four touchdowns. He has been sacked 12 times, and getting pressure may make Dart revert to his old self. Eugene Asante leads the Tigers with three sacks and has been the best defender for most of the season. A big game for Asante could cause some good opportunities for the defense.
Who wins?
How can Auburn beat Ole Miss? There will be a lot of energy in the stadium for the Tigers being back at home, and Kiffin coming to town. Auburn will need to find the run game they had against Georgia and do just enough through the air to keep the Rebels honest. Defensively, it is all about containing the run game of Ole Miss and forcing Dart into some bad situations
