Saturday’s matchup between No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 18 Auburn will determine who Alabama’s chief challenger is in the SEC West race as the Rebels and Tigers square off in a key divisional showdown between teams with one conference loss. Both squads are coming off wins over division foes, as Ole Miss dominated LSU last week and Auburn won 38-23 at Arkansas two weeks ago.
The Tigers won last season’s meeting 35-28 after quarterback Bo Nix found Seth Williams for a 58-yard score with 1:11 remaining. Otherwise it was a battle of the run games, as the teams combined for 507 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. This year’s matchup could have a similar flavor with Ole Miss and Auburn entering first and fifth in the SEC, respectively, in yards rushing per game.
Both are also among the league’s highest-scoring teams, so strap in and prepare for some offensive entertainment under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn vs. Ole Miss: Need to know
Quarterback battle: The running game is where both these teams thrive, but don’t be surprised if quarterback play makes the difference. These teams boast a pair of the league’s top playmakers at the position with Nix for Auburn and Matt Corral for Ole Miss. Since getting benched in a close victory over Georgia State on Sept. 25, Nix has responded well by leading the Tigers to road wins against LSU and Arkansas. Auburn tends to go as Nix does, but when he’s great, it’s a lot of fun to watch. The same could be said for Ole Miss and Corral, but the redshirt junior has been excellent all season. After struggling with interceptions at times last season, Corral has been intercepted only once in 2021 while being playmaker with his legs. Another strong performance here could vault Corral’s budding Heisman Trophy candidacy to new heights.
Auburn’s title path: Did you forget about Auburn? It could have been easy to do amid the early-season hoopla surrounding the plethora of other storylines in the SEC West. The Tigers began the season outside the AP Top 25 and, after making it into the poll for five straight weeks in the first half of the season, fell out again following a loss to Georgia on Oct. 9. Despite the ups and downs, the Tigers are the only team other than Alabama that controls their own destiny in the SEC West. Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss each have one conference loss, but the Crimson Tide have a tiebreaker on the Rebels. Depending on how things play out, Auburn could be headed for a winner-take-all game in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 27.
Injuries for Ole Miss: Ole Miss played shorthanded offensively in its 31-17 win over LSU with receivers Braylon Sanders and Jonathan Mingo and veteran offensive lineman Ben Brown among the most notable absences. The Rebels still managed to run for 266 yards, but repeating that effort against a more stout Auburn front seven could be a challenge. Brown, who has been a steady run blocker for the Rebels over four years, is done for the season. Mingo hasn’t played since suffering a foot injury against Alabama on Oct. 2. The LSU game was the first that Sanders missed, but if he can’t return this week, it will force coach Lane Kiffin to stay creative. Both Mingo and Sanders start at the outside receiver position when healthy. Without them last week, Corral threw almost exclusively to slot receivers and running backs.
How to watch Auburn vs. Ole Miss live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 30 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium — Auburn, Alabama
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Auburn vs. Ole Miss prediction, picks
Featured Game | Auburn Tigers vs. Ole Miss Rebels
This has the makings of a high-scoring affair that could be decided by an untimely turnover. The unpredictable nature of Nix’s play and Corral’s newfound prowess in protecting the football make Ole Miss a safer bet to navigate the clutch moments. The Rebels are banged up, but Auburn’s defense has been too inconsistent to trust. Prediction: Ole Miss (+2.5)
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