Ole Miss vs. Auburn
After getting back on track last Saturday, No. 19 Ole Miss will hope to keep momentum rolling when it travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
The Rebels’ season looked to be in jeopardy after they dropped games to both Florida and Memphis over a three-week span earlier this month. However, an emphatic 23-3 win over Texas A&M last Saturday means Ole Miss controls its own destiny in the SEC West by virtue of its road win over Alabama on Sept. 19.
With quarterback Chad Kelly and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell leading an offense that ranks at the top of the SEC in multiple categories plus the talented “Land Shark” defense, the Rebels can challenge anyone left on their schedule. Still, one more loss would likely end any chance of Ole Miss making it to Atlanta.
Auburn has been one of the most disappointing teams in college football at 4-3 after being ranked No. 6 in the preseason polls. The Tigers’ only SEC win is over Kentucky, and they will have to regroup from a crushing 4 overtime loss against Arkansas last weekend.
Gus Malzahn’s squad has been playing a little better with freshman Sean White under center and is still loaded with talent. Beating Ole Miss this weekend would be a huge step for Auburn reaching bowl eligibility.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2015
Start Time: Noon eastern
Location: Auburn, AL
Stadium: Jordan-Hare Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network, Auburn IMG Sports Network, Sirius XM 84
Ticket Information: For Ole Miss ticket info click here, for Auburn ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
On paper, this looks like a very difficult matchup for an Auburn team that has struggled on both sides of the ball in conference play. The Tigers will have to play easily their best game of the season to come away with the home upset.
Ole Miss’ defense looked as though it may have regressed significantly after giving up 491 yards of total offense to Memphis two weeks ago. The Rebels proved that notion wrong on Saturday by completely dismantling what was once a high-powered Texas A&M offense. That dominating performance came without the services of star defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, who is likely to return this week from a concussion.
That could spell trouble for Auburn, which ranks 88th in the nation in yards per play according to TeamRankings.com. The Tigers have been unable to generate the big plays that we’ve come accustomed to seeing from Malzahn offenses over the past few seasons.
White has done a better job of limiting mistakes than previous quarterback Jeremy Johnson, but will have to get something going down field this weekend in order to win. The Tigers also cannot afford to be one-dimensional in this game, so running back Payton Barber will also need his best performance of the year against the tough Rebels defense.
Defensively is where the Tigers could run into even more trouble. Kelly and an ultra-talented group of wide receivers have been difficult for even teams like Alabama to stop , and Auburn has struggled defensively against just about everyone.
The ground game wasn’t a huge part of the Rebels’ offense until last week, as they put 230 rushing yards on the Aggies behind the duo of Jaylen Walton and Akeem Judd, boosted by the return of star offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil from a seven-week suspension. If that trend continues, this game could get out of hand, as Auburn’s rush defense ranks 107th in the nation per TeamRankings.
Still, there may be some hope for Auburn. Defensive end Carl Lawson may be able to return after missing six full games with a hip injury. Lawson’s only action this season came in the first half of the opener against Louisville, when the Tigers’ defense played easily its best football of the year.
Ole Miss has also been very careless with the ball at times, while Auburn has done a decent job of forcing turnovers. Despite all of Ole Miss’ advantages, a couple of turnovers could even the playing field for the Tigers at home.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Ole Miss -7.5
Moneyline: Ole Miss -300, Auburn +250
O/U: 57.5
Ole Miss is 5-3 against the spread this season, but two of those losses came outright as a sizeable favorite. Auburn is just 1-6 against the spread this year.
Prediction
It feels as though Auburn is getting closer and closer to playing to its true talent level, but it’s going to be difficult for the Tigers to spring an upset on Ole Miss.
As long as the Rebels avoid multiple turnovers, they should be able to move the ball efficiently enough. Auburn hasn’t shown any ability to slow down opponents on the ground, and Ole Miss’ fantastic group of receivers will test a young secondary. The potential return of Lawson would be a huge boost, but he might not be up to full speed yet after being out seven weeks.
Auburn’s offense relies on big plays by using its athleticism in space on the field. The Tigers just haven’t been able to generate those plays this season and likely won’t be able to get going against the vicious Rebels defense.
If the Rebels again fail to take care of the ball, Auburn could hang around for a while in this game and get Jordan-Hare going. In the end, Ole Miss’ defense is just going to to much for Auburn, and the Rebels should be able to maintain a comfortable margin in the second half.
Final Score: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 17