It’s hard to imagine a more devastating loss for Ole Miss. With a matchup of the number three and four teams in the country, the game had direct playoff implications. The number four Rebels will certainly move down after losing to the Auburn Tigers 35-31, a week after they lost 10-7 against LSU.
It was a game that went against many of the norms of Ole Miss football this season. Instead of the defensive battles fans have been accustomed to seeing, tonight’s game was a shootout with both offenses playing pretty well throughout the game.
Auburn started off the game hot and was able to move down the field and score the very first touchdown the Rebel defense has allowed in the first quarter the entire season. Quarterback Nick Marshall completed some big passes to wide receivers Quan Bray and D’haquille Williams before running two yards for the score.
After that, both teams punted once before Ole Miss found it’s first success on offense. Senior quarterback Bo Wallace found senior wideout Vince Sanders for several sharp passes before I’Tavius Mathers capped the drive with a four yard outside run for the touchdown.
A few defensive stops later, Auburn had the ball in the second quarter and was trying to move the ball through the ground game. But when Marshall tried to pass the ball, he gave senior cornerback Senquez Golson his ninth interception of the year. Ole Miss wasn’t able to get anything going on the ensuing drive, but after an Auburn punt they got the ball back and were able to score in just two plays. First, Wallace broke off a 59-yard run that had 15 extra yards tacked onto it after he was brought down by his facemask. Next Wallace found sophomore Laquon Treadwell for a four yard score.
Auburn was able to show that they could also score fast, as a few possessions later the Tigers scored in 12 seconds on just one play, a 57-yard pass from Marshall to wide receiver Sammy Coates, tying the game at 14. Ole Miss responded by moving down in the one minute and 24 seconds remaining in the half and having freshman kicker Gary Wunderlich hit a 47-yard field goal to give the Rebels a 3 point lead.
To start the second half, both defenses started off playing great before Ole Miss was able to find the endzone again. Wallace found sophomore tight end Evan Engram for a 50 yard touchdown to make the score 24-21. Auburn came right back however. Cameron Artis-Payne, who had a total of 143 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries for the game, had a few nice runs to get the Tigers close to the endzone before Marshall ran it in from two yards out to put the Tigers back in the lead. Marshall had a very solid game, picking up 354 total yards and four total touchdowns on the day.
After forcing another Ole Miss punt Auburn went right back down and scored, relying heavily on Artis-Payne to get them yardage before Marshall found Marcus Davis for a 17-yard touchdown. At the end of the third quarter, the score was 28-24 Auburn.
On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Wallace, who finished the day 28/40 passing for 341 yards and two touchdowns and added 14 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown as well, found Engram for another big pass before running the ball himself for a three-yard touchdown. Engram ended up with eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The shootout continued however; as the Tigers were able to move down to score a six-yard touchdown, the highlight of the drive being a 41-yard pass from Marshall to Sammy Coates. Coates ended up with 5 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.
The Rebels looked like they would also score again, with big plays by Sanders, who ended the game six catches for 105 yards. However, a Bo Wallace fumble was forced inside the Auburn five that saved the Tigers and shifted the game’s momentum.
Ole Miss was able to move the ball down again, and the deciding play of the game came on a pass to Laquon Treadwell. Treadwell, who finished with 10 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown, had an impressive 19-yard catch and run before being tackled and fumbling at the 1-yard line. The fumble came after Treadwell suffered a serious leg injury that head coach Hugh Freeze thought was an ankle fracture.
After that, Ole Miss was eventually able to get the ball back but couldn’t score before time expired, making the Rebels 7-2 on the season.
