No. 13 Ole Miss Travels to Tangle with Auburn

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels return to action this weekend as they travel over to the Plains of Auburn to tangle with the Tigers.

Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC) is coming off of a bye after a 27-20 victory over Arkansas.  In a game, in which the Rebels defense held Arkansas to just 36 rushing yards, their fewest allowed since 2014.

Junior quarterback, Jaxson Dart who ranks second in the SEC, seventh in the FBS at 323.3 yards of total offense per game.

The Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins has run for 2,010 career rushing yards in less than two seasons in Oxford.

Auburn enters the week 3-3 overall and 0-3 in SEC play. The Razorbacks outscored its first three opponents 118-37, but have dropped lost three straight SEC contests. Auburn is averaging 347.3 yards per game, with 191.5 of that coming on the ground.

 Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne leads the Tigers under center, completing 63 percent of his passes for 643 yards and four passing touchdowns. Jarquez Hunter is Auburn’s rushing leader with 202 yards on 50 carries. Sophomore wideout Jay Fair leads the Razorbacks with 18 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns. The Auburn defense has been very opportunistic this season, ranking No. 7 in the country with two defensive touchdowns.

The Tigers  rank No. 2 in the SEC with 11 takeaways this season. Eugene Asante leads Auburn with 35 total tackles, including two sacks and four tackles for loss. Senior cornerback Jaylin Simpson ranks second in FBS with four interceptions. Placekicker Alex McPherson is 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, with a long of 53 yards. Oscar Chapman, a 2022 Ray Guy Award semifinalist, is averaging 42.8 yards per punt, with five punts over 50 yards.

Saturday will be the 48^th meeting between the two programs. Auburn leads the series over Ole Miss 35-11.