In an emotional rollercoaster of a game, the Ole Miss Rebels were unable to keep up with the Auburn Tigers, falling 31-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. After holding LSU to 77 rushing yards last week in a strong defensive showing, the Ole Miss Rebels gave up 207 rushing yards to the Auburn Tigers in the loss. Highlighted by an inability to capitalize on Auburn’s mistakes, the Rebels now fall to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC.
The Rebel defense was caught slacking, but so was the offense
The Ole Miss defense began the game looking sluggish. Coming off of a strong showing against LSU, it was a harrowing sight for Rebel fans. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is known for his “magic” to make plays out of nothing. This mainly stems from a defensive inability to wrap up, and the Landshark D certainly fell for that tonight. With two sacks on the night, it seemed like no one was able to pressure the quarterback, giving him time and space to make throws and use his legs. Nix ran in from 11 yards out to give Auburn the first lead of the night, 7-0. After the Ole Miss offense failed to get six points, the Rebel defense seemed to be no match for running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby found himself in the end zone to end the first quarter and put Auburn up 14-3.
At halftime, the Rebels were down 28-17 after giving up three rushing touchdowns and one in the air. It looked as if the defense was due for as poor of a second half as their first. A switch was flipped in the locker room, and the Rebel defense came back big. The second half showed that the Rebels could hold their own with Bo Nix and company. The Rebels were able to hold the Auburn offense to three points in the second half and recover two turnovers, including a muffed punt on special teams and an AJ Finley fumble recovery.
Despite a strong defensive performance in the second thirty, the Ole Miss offense could not seem to get anything going in the red zone. With two touchdowns and a 29-yard field goal in the first half, this matchup looked like it could be a high-scoring affair. On the contrary, Ole Miss was also held to three points in the second half, a 49-yard Caden Costa field goal. This offensive blunder stemmed from missed fourth-down conversions, a lack of a run and many penalties. Blame it on the stripes all you want. Ole Miss cannot give up seven big penalties in a game and expect to come out on top.
Despite all this, we still have the best quarterback in the country, and I stand by that.
Matt Corral still rocks
Matt Corral has an awkward-looking plant. Matt Corral goes down. Matt Corral looks like he’s in severe pain. Matt Corral gets carted off. Fans speculate it might be the end of his season. I begin to lose it in the Auburn press box. Matt Corral comes back on the sideline. Matt Corral is getting taped. Matt Corral is running back on the field. Matt Corral can’t find his helmet. Matt Corral goes back in. Matt Corral drives the ball down the field for an Ole Miss touchdown. People are shocked. Lane Kiffin couldn’t believe it.
It was a complete upheaval of emotions from the time Matt Corral went down in the first quarter to the final whistle in the fourth. If anything, the world now knows what kind of competitor Matt Corral really is.
Despite going down to none of his initial receivers after Dontario Drummond went down, and being without any starting tight ends, Corral was still able to deliver a strong performance, even with his second interception of the season.
Corral finished with 289 yards in the air and 45 on the ground. With his lack of starters, someone needed to step up. Give credit where it’s due, Casey Kelly and Jahcour Pearson had the game of their lives. Pearson ended with seven receptions for 135 yards and Kelly reeled in seven catches for 81 yards.
It is without a doubt a frustrating loss. The Rebels went 4-8 in the red zone and finished with 20 points on offense. Ole Miss left critical points on the field, but it’s an aggressive mentality that Head Coach Lane Kiffin possesses. It’s a double-edged sword — it can leave you speechless in both good and bad ways.
