Auburn comes out of Oxford with fifth straight win, poised for big finish

With each passing week, Auburn is becoming more and more of a factor in the SEC West. In arguably their worst defensive performance of the year, the Tigers surrendered 570 yards but held on to beat Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to run their winning streak to five.

As a result, AU is 6-2 as it enters its home game against Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Here’s an analysis of Auburn’s 40-29 victory.

5 TAKEAWAYS

• Is there anything Kamryn Pettway can’t do? For the third straight week, Pettway rushed for a career high, rocking the Rebels for 236 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. It’s hard to say what’s more amazing about Pettway, the fact that he leads the SEC in rushing yards (933) or the fact that he didn’t take a handoff at all last season.
• The night was a mixed bag for the defense: Ole Miss entered the game 13th in the SEC in rushing yards per game (148.9), so Auburn did its job by holding the Rebels to 105 yards on 31 carries. However, Chad Kelly picked apart Auburn’s passing defense for a single-game school-record 465 yards and 3 TDs while also throwing a pick. Devaroe Lawrence came up big by stopping Jason Pellerin on a 4th-and-goal running play early in the third quarter.
• Daniel Carlson gives the Tigers a leg up: Carlson, who made just 1-for-2 field goal attempts over his last three games, reaffirmed his place as the SEC’s top placekicker. He made all four of his kicks – connecting from 45, 32, 30 and 47 yards – and as the final score indicated, those 12 points were huge.
• Sean White continued to be his efficient self: The SEC’s top-rated passer finished 15-for-22 for 247 yards and a score, but what stood out was how well he distributed the ball. He hit eight different players while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. White also ran 5 times for 27 yards.
• Auburn is proving that it is opportunistic and good: In a game that featured eight lead changes and 1,124 yards of offense, Auburn persevered in a tough road environment. Midway through the fourth quarter, Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram – who had a game-high 9 catches for 95 yards and a score – dropped what would have been a go-ahead touchdown. Plus, the Tigers turned Kelly’s lone interception into points when Kerryon Johnson rushed for a 3-yard TD.

REPORT CARD

Offense: A – Compared to its 56-3 victory over Arkansas last week, when Auburn ran for 543 yards, the Tigers had to work harder against the Rebels. Still, behind Pettway, AU gained 307 yards on the ground and has rushed for at least 228 in six of its eight games. Auburn’s ball-carriers gained nearly 6 yards a carry.
Defense: C – After trailing 22-20 at halftime, the Tigers held the Rebels to just 7 points the rest of the game. That’s the good news. The bad news was Kelly’s performance, surrendering nearly 600 yards of total offense and the Rebels’ point total, which matched a season-worst. Entering the game, Auburn was third in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing 14.1 yards per contest. The Tigers also forced only one three-and-out.
Special teams: B – Kevin Phillips averaged 43 yards on his two punts. Johnson returned a kickoff for 24 yards. Marcus Davis took a punt 10 yards.
Coaching: B – Auburn avenged a 27-19 loss in last season’s matchup by going on the road and beating a vulnerable team. The Tigers struggled trying to defend against Kelly and Engram, but so has every other team that has faced Ole Miss. And despite falling behind on numerous occasions, Auburn stuck to its highly successful run-first approach.
Overall: A – Two-thirds into the regular season, Auburn is already bowl-eligible and still in contention in the SEC West. Expectations have been meet; the Tigers have a month to make a good season great.

GAME PLAN

Auburn had a 32:27-27:33 time-of-possession edge, while running the ball 52 times. The Tigers executed 74 plays after running 69 last week against the Razorbacks.

GAME BALLS

TE Jalen Harris: His 15-yard touchdown reception was the first catch of his career.
DB Tray Matthews: The junior safety led all players with 11 tackles.
RB Kerryon Johnson: The sophomore, who was held out of last week’s win to allow his injured ankle to heal, ran 11 times for 42 yards and 2 TDs.

Stan Chrapowicki

Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.