Ole Miss gets Auburn at the right time if it can steady itself, but the Rebels will have to do it without their biggest backfield weapon.
No. 12 Ole Miss and Auburn meet Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss., for the first time in three years, with both teams coming off lopsided losses to ranked opponents.
For the Rebels, though, this one carries a little more weight. They’re 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, and with only one remaining matchup against the three conference teams currently ahead of them - a Nov. 7 home date with Georgia - this feels like a chance to keep the season pointed in the right direction.
Ole Miss left Austin with a 34-27 loss to then-No. 19 Texas last Saturday, a game that played out like two completely different contests.
The Rebels were buried early, trailing 24-3 at halftime, then clawed all the way back by holding Arch Manning to just 41 passing yards in the second half. They tied it at 24-24 before Manning answered with his second rushing touchdown of the day to deliver the winning score.
The comeback effort came with a painful subplot. Coach Pete Golding said running back Kewan Lacy will miss the Auburn game after dislocating a shoulder against Texas. Lacy, who entered 2025 as one of the nation’s top backs with 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns, had already been dealing with a different shoulder injury before the Texas game.
"Kewan dislocated a shoulder in the game, so it wasn't exactly what it was before," Golding said. "It was different. So with the combination of both of those, he's not going to play this week."
That leaves Ole Miss to piece together the ground game with Makhi Frazier and Shekai Mills-Knight, among others. Frazier has 51 carries for 301 yards, while Mills-Knight has four carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.
"I think Makhi has come in and played well," Golding said. "I think with Kewan being out this week that Shekai is going to have a real opportunity as well."
Auburn comes in having lived through its own roller coaster. The Tigers are 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC, and this will be their fourth straight game against a ranked opponent after Tennessee, Georgia and LSU.
Last week’s 38-17 loss to then-No. 18 LSU was never close, with the Tigers trailing by three touchdowns at halftime and never threatening after that.
That result followed Auburn’s shocking 27-24 road win over then-No. 1 Georgia, a result that knocked the Bulldogs off the top spot and marked the biggest victory of coach Alex Golesh’s first season at the school.
"It's a chance for us to move, (but) that's this league," Golesh said. "Every week is a challenge, and it's why you come here.
To play the best of the best. We flipped the page and play another really good team on the road."
A big part of Auburn’s challenge will be containing Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has thrown for 1,926 yards this season and has emerged as an early Heisman Trophy hopeful.
"Obviously, (he) is as special a player as there is," Golesh said. "You kind of watch it from afar, and you turn the film on and that's a dynamic, special, special football player.
"He creates with his feet, and the arm strength is real. The accuracy is real. The ability to extend plays and push the ball down the field is real."
In Other News...
Auburn Could Be Getting A Needed O-Line Boost At The Right Time
Auburns offensive line might be getting some timely help as the season wears on, with head coach Alex Golesh saying sophomore Tai Buster could return to practice and play within a few weeks. Buster has been sidelined by a preseason injury, but he has stayed involved with the team during his recovery, keeping himself in the mix even while hes been unable to get back on the field.
For a line that always benefits from added depth, especially as the schedule tightens, Busters eventual return would give Auburn another option at a spot where bodies matter. He will miss the upcoming game against Ole Miss, but the possibility of getting him back later in the season gives the Tigers something worth watching beyond just the next matchup. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger issue for Auburn, though, may be what happens around the decision rather than the decision itself. The school also confirmed that general manager Brian Kloman was fired, with reports indicating the move stemmed from a failure to disclose Rubstavicius prior college enrollment overseas, leaving the program to sort through how such a significant oversight occurred in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces Another QB Test Its Defense Has Yet To Pass
Auburns defense has already spent plenty of this season chasing mobile quarterbacks around the field, and the next one on the schedule brings another familiar test. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is the kind of player who can turn a broken play into a big gain, extending drives with his legs before still delivering the ball accurately when the pocket starts to collapse. For a Tigers defense that has had trouble keeping that style of quarterback in check, this matchup comes with a clear warning sign.
Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin and head coach Alex Golesh have both pointed to pass-rush discipline and better containment as the key areas Auburn has to clean up. The challenge is not just getting pressure, but doing it without creating escape lanes and giving Chambliss the space he needs to improvise. Auburn has heard that lesson before this season, and the next chance to prove it has stuck is coming quickly. [Read more 🡒]