As the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels traveled to Auburn, a sense of understanding swept the program. Historically, the Ole Miss has not had much success playing in Jordan-Hare Stadium, entering the game 3-17 all time. If the Rebels wanted to keep their postseason hopes alive, they needed all hands on deck to emerge victorious.
Ole Miss was on upset alert this week. In the first half and much of the third quarter of Saturday’s game, a Rebel win looked dubious. However, Ole Miss’ second-half resolve showed up once again and lifted the Rebels to a 28-21 win on the road over a persistent Auburn team.
It was not the cleanest game of football that has ever been played, but it was a win nonetheless. The Rebels came into the game simply looking to survive a potential disaster, and the efforts of a few key playmakers helped them do just that.
Offensive MVPs: Ulysses Bentley IV and Quinshon Judkins
The nation’s most talented backfield was on full display versus the Auburn Tigers. Ulysses Bentley IV gave the Rebel offense a much-needed spark and took everything Auburn gave him.
Quinshon Judkins, the other half of this monstrous 1-2 punch, never took his foot off the gas in what was undoubtedly his best rushing performance of the season. Judkins led all rushers with 124 yards and a score.
Whenever the Rebels were in a jam, they could look for Judkins or Bentley to bail them out. Judkins is heating up heading into the back stretch of the season, which is something the Ole Miss fans should be very excited about
Defensive MVPs: The defensive backs
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rebels got out to a shaky start against the Tigers. Auburn took an unfamiliar approach, alternating quarterbacks throughout the game.
This unique strategy, combined with an impressive performance by running back Jarquez Hunter, made life extremely difficult for Ole Miss’ defense.
The biggest reason why Ole Miss remained in control of this game was because of its defensive back play. Despite its formidable ground game, Auburn could not get anything going through the air. Both Tiger quarterbacks were picked off during the game, and they combined for only 122 yards.
Shining Moment: Zamari Walton’s pick to seal the game
After Ole Miss went up by two scores, Auburn had seven minutes left on the clock to make a comeback. The Rebel defense needed to make a stand if Ole Miss was igoing to make it out of Auburn with a win.
The Tigers went to the air and a pass was picked off by senior cornerback Zamari Walton with five minutes left in the game. This interception sucked all the hope out of Jordan-Hare Stadium and sealed the game for the Rebels.
Needs Improvement: Offensive line discipline
Throughout the first half, one major issue kept Ole Miss from running away with the game: the discipline of the offensive line.
Penalty after penalty erased many positive plays, stifling the Rebel offense. Not only did these mistakes slow the pace of the game, but they also put the Rebels in countless difficult situations to overcome.
The Rebels cleaned up a lot of these careless mistakes in the second half; however, if Ole Miss wants any chance at postseason play, it must improve its discipline on the offensive line.
The Rebels survived on Saturday, gaining their first victory in Jordan-Hare Stadium of the Lane Kiffin era. After this weekend’s events, Ole Miss will shift focus to the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Kickoff for the homecoming game is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and will air on SEC Network.
