Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding sees a familiar shape in Auburn’s offense, and one player in particular stands out to him: Byrum Brown.
Golding isn’t saying Brown belongs in the same conversation as Cam Newton’s 2010 run at Auburn, the one that ended with a national championship. But he does think the Tigers quarterback brings a similar kind of stress to a defense with his dual-threat game.
“I think [the Tigers] use the horizontal spacing of the field…the tempo they play with. A lot of similar concepts,” Golding said.
“The run game has similarities. It’s a high-profile offense based on explosive plays.”
That’s the lane Golding put Auburn in when asked about the Tigers’ attack and the way Alex Golesh has built it. He also said Golesh does a strong job putting his quarterbacks in position to succeed, much like Josh Heupel does at Tennessee.
Brown has been central to everything Auburn has done offensively this season. He has thrown for 1,365 yards and rushed for 613 yards on 97 carries, with ESPN removing sacks and lost sack yardage from that total. Auburn leaned hard on him in the Week 7 win over Georgia, giving him 26 carries and 26 pass attempts in that game.
If the Tigers are going to produce the same kind of output in Oxford on Saturday afternoon, they’ll likely need Brown to bring that same workload and impact again. The game is set for 12:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Won A Huge In-State Recruiting Battle
Ole Miss landed a major in-state recruiting win when Mitchell Turner, one of Mississippis top prospects and a four-star defensive lineman, announced he is officially committed to the Rebels and has closed his recruitment. Turner had drawn plenty of interest and kept looking at his options, including a visit to Alabama, but he ultimately settled back on the program closest to home, giving Ole Miss a significant addition on the defensive front.
For a Rebels staff trying to keep elite local talent from drifting elsewhere, this kind of commitment carries extra weight. Turners standing as a nationally ranked prospect only raises the stakes, and his upcoming appearance in the 2026 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game will give everyone another look at what Ole Miss is adding as it continues to build around the states best players. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Could Get A Timely Boost Up Front Vs Auburn
Ole Miss got through the Texas game without a sack allowed, but the offensive line still had to work around a key absence at right tackle. Terez Davis left that game with an injury and was held out as a precaution, a development that mattered even in a performance where the pass protection held up and the running game was not as sharp.
Pete Golding said Davis is expected back for the Auburn matchup, which would be a welcome bit of stability up front for a line trying to keep building on its pass-protection success. His return would also give the Rebels another piece to lean on as they look to find more balance on offense and avoid making that side of the ball do extra work. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Landed In A Postseason Picture Fans Will Debate
With the postseason picture still taking shape, ESPNs latest bowl projections have started to map out where the SECs top teams could land if the season ended right now. Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach updated their matchups across the conference, and the list includes the familiar heavyweights along with the rest of the leagues crowded middle, all of it tied to current rankings and how teams have performed to this point.
For Ole Miss fans, the interest is less about the certainty of any one destination and more about the range of possibilities still in play. Projections this early are always fluid, especially with so many SEC teams still sorting themselves out, but they do offer a useful snapshot of how the Rebels fit into a postseason race that could keep shifting right up to the end of the regular season. [Read more 🡒]