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Auburn football: A former Tiger could put nail in the Lane Kiffin-Ole Miss coffin

By Andrew Hughes

Auburn football quarterback Malik Willis (14) throws the ball down field against Liberty at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov.. 17, 2018. Auburn defeated Liberty 53-0.
Auburn football quarterback Malik Willis (14) throws the ball down field against Liberty at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov.. 17, 2018. Auburn defeated Liberty 53-0. /
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Ole Miss’s chances of coming out of the SEC West and winning the conference are on life support right now because of their 31-20 loss to Auburn football this past Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

While this weekend’s non-conference clash won’t affect what happens in the SEC West standings, it could knock the Rebels out of the AP Top 25 should they do the unthinkable and lose at home as a two-score favorite to a Group of Five team.

Lane Kiffin will have his hands full with former Auburn football backup-turned-starting Liberty QB Malik Willis. Maybe too full considering the lack of defensive consistency and big-play abilities the former Tiger possesses.

Willis is 14 yards shy of reaching 2,000 passing yards on the season and 16 yards shy of reaching the 700 rushing yard benchmark. He’s completed 66% of his passes this season and is averaging over three touchdowns per game by himself.

Let’s get back to the defensive consistency, though. Jackson, Mississippi’s The Clarion Ledger dug into the issue they faced this past weekend against Auburn football and then got a damning response from an Ole Miss defender when asked about it:

"The second-half Rebels held Auburn to three points, forced two turnovers and kept Auburn to 1-for-6 on third downs. The first-half Rebels allowed 28 points, got burned for eight plays of 15 yards or longer, let Auburn go 4-for-6 on third and fourth downs and were the reason the offense needed to rally in the first place.Let senior linebacker Chance Campbell sum up the feeling. Campbell was asked whether it’s frustrating playing on a unit that’s capable of making stops but doesn’t do it on a consistent basis.Campbell answered with one word: Yes."

There is a serious recipe for disaster this past weekend if the Rebels’ injury woes have them undermanned on both sides of the ball.

Auburn started the beginning of the end for any ambitious Ole Miss goals for the 2021 season, and a former Auburn Tiger could be the deliverer of the final nail in its coffin.

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