Auburn’s latest trip to Oxford turned into another rough afternoon, with Ole Miss handing the Tigers a 45-15 loss and pushing Auburn to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in SEC play.
For a stretch, Auburn at least looked capable of hanging around. The Tigers opened the game with a scoring drive, one of the few teams left in the country still doing that, and their offense found a little rhythm early.
They pieced together multiple drives that lasted more than six minutes, and in the second quarter Byrum Brown hit Chas Nimrod on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was blocked, and Auburn added a field goal just before halftime to trim the margin to 14-9.
That was as close as it got. Ole Miss took over after the break and outscored Auburn 31-6 over the final two quarters.
Auburn’s offensive line was again a major talking point, though Alex Golesh did make changes to both personnel and positions after last week’s struggles against LSU. The pass protection was better at times and gave Byrum Brown more room to work, but Ole Miss still got to him for four sacks. On the ground, Auburn never came close to making a dent, finishing with just 63 rushing yards despite Ole Miss entering the game last in the SEC in rushing yards allowed per game.
The penalties were just as damaging. Auburn committed eight for 67 yards, and several came at the worst possible moments.
Cole Best was flagged a couple of times in spots that hurt the Tigers badly, including a holding call that knocked Auburn out of scoring range right before halftime and turned a chance at more points into a field goal. Later, in the third quarter, a false start on Best forced Auburn to go for two after its second touchdown of the day.
With four games left, Auburn still has a path to a bowl if it can reach six wins. Next up is a home game against Arkansas next Saturday.
In Other News...
Auburn's Offense Just Took Another Hit Before Ole Miss Matchup
Auburns receiver room got a little thinner heading into a tricky SEC road test, with Jeremiah Koger ruled out for the matchup against Ole Miss. He now joins Tai Buster and Hunter Herring on the injury report, leaving the Tigers to piece together their offense with another available option off the board as they prepare for one of the leagues more demanding environments.
Ole Miss is dealing with its own roster issues, too, and the availability report has already trimmed the Rebels down by 10 players, including running back Kewan Lacy. Even with both teams shorthanded, the absences matter on a weekend when depth and flexibility can swing the tenor of a conference game, and Auburn will have to find answers without one more name it was hoping to have. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Defense And QB Situation Suddenly Look Far More Fragile
Ole Miss walked out of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a 45-15 win over Auburn, and the Rebels did it with a quarterback who kept the Tigers off balance in more ways than one. Trinidad Chambliss made his mark through both the air and on the ground, while Ole Miss coach Pete Golding had plenty of praise afterward for Chambliss and offensive coordinator John David Baker, whose plan helped keep Auburn chasing the game from early on.
For Auburn, the bigger concern was how little rhythm the offense found while Byrum Brown was under steady pressure. The Tigers never got much going on the ground, and the combination of a shaky quarterback situation and a defense that bent far too often made the loss feel bigger than the score alone. It left Auburn with more questions than answers at a point in the season when stability is supposed to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Second-Half Collapse Just Raised Bigger Questions About This Offense
Auburns trip to Oxford ended with a lopsided 45-15 loss to No. 12 Ole Miss, a result that did more than just deepen the frustration from one rough afternoon. It also marked the Tigers first two-game losing streak under coach Alex Golesh, with the offense again unable to keep pace after showing flashes early enough to keep the game within reach.
Byrum Brown finished with 195 passing yards, but Auburn never found enough consistency to put real pressure on Ole Miss, where Trinidad Chambliss controlled the game with 263 passing yards and three total touchdowns. The bigger concern now is how quickly Auburn can reset before Arkansas comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 7, because the margin for error on that side of the ball has started to shrink. [Read more 🡒]