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Auburn will try to shake off sting of overtime loss when it hosts Ole Miss
By Randy Capps
Published:
I imagine the film session was a little painful for Auburn this week.
The Tigers (4-3, 1-3 SEC) left a lot of big plays (and dropped passes) on the field in a four-overtime 54-46 loss at Arkansas last week.
It’s the sort of loss that can beat a team twice — once on the same day and again the following week because of the hangover.
Coach Gus Malzahn will be hoping to avoid that when Mississippi drops by on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN).
The Rebels (6-2, 3-1) reminded everyone of their SEC West title ambitions with an emphatic 23-3 win over Texas A&M last week.
Ole Miss did everything against the Aggies it didn’t do in a stunning loss to Memphis a week earlier — namely running the ball, pressuring the quarterback and tackling well.
Jaylen Walton ran for 97 yards on 22 carries and tight end Evan Engram hauled in his first touchdown pass of the season in the victory.
It was a good way to rebound from the disappointment of the Memphis loss, and the first step towards Atlanta for the Rebels.
All Ole Miss has to do to claim the SEC West crown is to keep winning football games. With its earlier win over Alabama, four more wins (including one on Nov. 21 against currently unbeaten LSU) would assure Ole Miss of no worse than a three-way tie with Alabama and LSU atop the standings.
And with two head-to-head wins, that would be an easy tie to break.
Of course, Auburn would love to throw a wrench into those plans with a win this weekend.
The Tigers have dominated this series with a 29-10 edge. Auburn has won five of the last six meetings and five in a row at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Last season, Ole Miss held a 10-point lead before Auburn stormed back for a 35-31 win in a battle of two teams ranked in the top 5.
“They’re going to be extremely motivated, we’re going to be extremely motivated. We’ll see who wins,” Malzahn said.
OLE MISS REBELS CLOSER LOOK
Top player, offense: Chad Kelly, Jr., QB — The Buffalo native has put up some big-time numbers in his first year in the SEC. He leads the conference in yards (2,475) and touchdowns (18). He also has 141 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground this season.
His 3 interceptions last week give him 10 on the season, which is really the only area of his game that hasn’t been outstanding. He’s tied with Vanderbilt’s Johnny McCrary for the league-high in that category.
Top player, defense: Marquis Haynes, So., DE — With Robert Nkemdiche still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion as I write this, Haynes becomes the player to watch for on the “Landsharks” as they try to get after Auburn quarterback Sean White.
Haynes was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a forced fumble in the win against Texas A&M. His 5.5 sacks lead the team and rank in the top 10 in the league. While a healthy Nkemdiche grabs the headlines, Haynes is an outstanding talent in his own right.
Top player, special teams: Gary Wunderlich, So., K — Wunderlich has made 12 of his 15 field goal tries this season and is perfect on his 37 point-after attempts. Last week, he made three field goals and added a 73-yard punt. He only has 3 punts this season but boasts a 56.3-yard average.
He made his only field goal attempt and all four of his extra points in last year’s game.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
