Auburn heads to Oxford on Saturday needing a response, and the matchup with No. 12 Ole Miss has AL.com’s Auburn writers leaning toward another tough afternoon for the Tigers.
The game kicks off at 11:45 a.m. on the SEC Network, with Auburn entering at 4-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play. Ole Miss comes in at 5-2 and 3-2.
Jerry Humphrey III sees Auburn as being in for a score-heavy loss, projecting Ole Miss 35, Auburn 21. After Auburn was “bullied off the field” in a 38-17 loss to LSU, he pointed to the challenge of dealing with Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who ranks second in the SEC in passing with 1,926 yards. Auburn has allowed 2,778 opponent yards through seven games, and Humphrey said the key is whether the Tigers can get stops after LSU piled up more than 500 yards of offense.
Chambliss has thrown seven interceptions, including two in Ole Miss’ 34-27 loss to Texas last week, and Auburn’s defense has created some takeaways of its own with eight interceptions and four forced fumbles. Humphrey said forcing turnovers is the path Auburn has to follow if it wants to “spoil Halloween in Oxford.”
Peter Rauterkus is also taking Ole Miss, but expects Auburn to hang around a little longer. He picked the Rebels 35, Auburn 24 and described this week as the finish of a brutal four-game stretch for the Tigers in October. Auburn shocked Georgia two weeks ago, and Rauterkus said it would need something similar to repeat that kind of result on the road.
He doesn’t see Auburn’s defense as equipped to slow Chambliss, but he did note one area where the Tigers could make things interesting: the run game. Ole Miss’ defense has been its biggest weakness through seven games, and Auburn could put points on the board if it can move the ball on the ground.
Still, Rauterkus said Auburn would likely need turnovers and a few breaks to swing the game its way. His bottom line: the Tigers can make it competitive, but not enough to pull off another road upset.
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