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Auburn Football at Ole Miss Bold Predictions Recap

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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With Auburn’s Unstoppable Force of an offense pitted against the Rebels’ Immoveable Object-like Land Shark defense, the stage was set for an epic showdown. Prior to Saturday’s slugfest between the third ranked Auburn football team and the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels, I made five bold predictions. Here’s a quick recap of how they turned out:

Auburn Will Score a First Quarter Touchdown

One up, one down – and it was quick. The Tigers didn’t just eke out a first quarter touchdown against the Rebels – who held a 62-3 scoring edge over opponents coming into the game – Auburn scored on the game’s opening possession in impressive fashion.

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After Corey Grant returned the opening kickoff 27 yards, head coach and play-caller Gus Malzahn called for a sweep to receiver Ricardo Louis on the first play of the game. Louis had 102 rushing yards on three carries the previous week against South Carolina, and picked up a quick first down with a 14-yard gain against Ole Miss. From there, Malzahn and the #AuburnFast offense put the pedal to the metal.

Following a short run by Cameron Artis-Payne, Nick Marshall completed passes to D’haquille Williams and Quan Bray for 12 and 20 yards, respectively. Marshall was stopped for a run, and then handed to Roc Thomas for a six-yarder. Then, Marshall found Williams again for an acrobatic 18-yard catch that set up a first and goal.

On the eighth play of the drive, and with less than three minutes of game time off the clock, Marshall scored himself on a two-yard run.

It was the only score the Tigers would muster over the game’s first fifteen minutes, but a quick strike touchdown sent a message to the “Land Sharks.”

An Auburn Player Will Finish With More Than 123 Rushing Yards

Two-for-two.

Prior to Saturday night’s matchup, the Ole Miss defense had allowed only two players to reach the century mark in rushing yards. T.J. Yeldon gained 123 yards in Alabama’s 23-17 loss to the Rebels earlier this season, which had been the most of any opposing player. With a big second half, Cameron Artis-Payne finished with 138 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Auburn Will Run For More Than 264 Yards

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    • We missed this one by an eyelash.

    Malzahn’s game plan for Ole Miss was to produce a balanced attack – to mix the run and the pass – and the team executed it as well as possible from a statistical standpoint. Auburn finished with 253 rushing yards on 46 carries, which is a 5.5 yards per carry average.

    Artis-Payne led the way, of course, and Marshall added 50 yards on ten carries. Grant, Thomas and Louis combined for 60 yards on nine attempts. The Tigers scored three times on the ground as well.

    Auburn Will Have Zero Turnovers

    Early in the second quarter, the Tigers started a drive with terrific field position at the Ole Miss 48-yard line. Six plays later they were in the red zone. Unfortunately, the drive came to an abrupt stop when Nick Marshall was intercepted by Senquez Golson. The pick was Marshall’s fourth of the season and Golson’s ninth.

    Most importantly, it was Auburn’s only turnover of the game.

    Auburn Will Score 28+ Points, And Win

    With 1:59 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Marshall found a wide open Marcus Davis for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers a 28-24 lead. Part one of this two-part prediction was in the books.

    The teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the Rebels committed two very costly turnovers, the last of which also cost the team it’s best offensive player in wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. The receiver fumbled what at first looked like a go-ahead touchdown, and the Tigers recovered the football. Auburn survived four more plays in the game’s final 26 seconds and earned a hard fought 35-31 victory.

    Scorecard: Five bold predictions, three correct.

    Next: Week 11 SEC Football Power Rankings

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