Auburn torches Ole Miss, 31-16

The Ole Miss Rebels came into this game limping. They held out in a nail biter over Arkansas the week prior, and on top of that lost a bunch of players to injury. For them, a win would have meant they were a wildcard in the SEC. But this was the perfect chance for Auburn to capitalize on what has been an underachieving season. And they made the most of it, defeating the Rebels 31-16.

The game opened with a Jarrett Stidham touchdown, his lone score of the game. The first half was almost too sluggish. There were not many turnovers, and both defenses were able to prevent long drives. Luke Logan nailed two field goals, along with Anders Carlson’s lone try for the half. The score was 10-3 in what was believed to be a defensive bought.

The Tigers began the second half with a long, seven-play, 68-yard drive capped off with a one-yard TD run from Malik Miller, the X-Factor for the Tigers. He would have another touchdown at the end of the third, sealing the game.

Miller rushed for both touchdowns, but JaTarvious Whitlow torched the defense on the ground for 170 yards. Seth Williams and Darius Slayton took care of catching passes, combining for 145 yards receiving. Stidham threw for 215 yards while completing 13 of his 22 pass attempts.

Jordan Ta’amu had a solid game as well. He went 27-for-46 for 324 yards and a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Scottie Phillips had a slow outing, meanwhile, and A.J. Brown went off for 155 yards receiving and a touchdown.

On Defense, Ole Miss had one lone sack and failed to force turnovers. Mohammad Sanogo had 16 tackles total, with Ken Webster tacking the lone sack. They failed to contain the run, which cost them the game.

Auburn forced a fumble which was recovered for a TD. Nick Coe dropped Ta’amu 3 times, with the Tigers tallying five sacks total. Auburn controlled the game on both ends.

Next week, Ole Miss plays the South Carolina Gamecocks, and Auburn hosts the Texas A&M Aggies.