Bo Nix, No. 18 Auburn Upset Matt Corral, No. 10 Ole Miss 31-20 in SEC Action

The No. 18 Auburn Tigers never trailed en route to beating the visiting No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels 31-20 on Saturday from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby paced the Tigers offense with 140 rushing yards and one touchdown, which led to a 13-3 first-quarter lead.

Tigers quarterback Bo Nix added a pair of rushing scores and found Jarquez Hunter for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left in the first half to help give Auburn a 28-17 halftime edge.

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral accounted for 334 total yards (289 passing, 45 rushing) and added an 11-yard score on the ground, which cut the Auburn lead to 21-16.

The star signal-caller suffered an apparent left leg injury after avoiding a sack late in the first quarter. Rebels staff examined him in the medical tent before he was carted to the locker room.

He was out for roughly six minutes of game time spanning the first and second quarters but returned with 9:59 left in the first half.

The 6-2 Tigers (3-1 SEC) have won four of their last five. The 6-2 Rebels (3-2 SEC) saw their three-game win streak end.

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Notable Performances

Ole Miss QB Matt Corral: 21-of-37, 289 passing yards, 1 INT; 10 carries, 45 rushing yards, 1 TD

Ole Miss WR Jahcour Pearson: 7 catches, 135 yards

Auburn QB Bo Nix: 22-of-30, 276 passing yards, 1 TD; 8 carries, 30 rushing yards, 2 TD

Auburn RB Tank Bigsby: 23 carries, 140 rushing yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 10 receiving yards

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Bigsby, Nix Lead Tigers Offense

Bigsby started the year with three straight 100-yard rushing performances, but he amassed just 183 yards on 55 carries (3.3 YPC) over his past four games leading into the Ole Miss matchup.

However, Bigsby got back on track with a dominant outing Saturday, grinding down the Rebels defense with tough running.

"I seen in his eyes that he was going to come out and ball. I knew he was going to turn up," Auburn linebacker Zakoby McClain said postgame.

Nix also praised Bigsby's efforts, per Jordan D. Hill of the Opelika-Auburn News:"Tank's that guy that, he's going to be consistent...I think the main thing with him is he got a lot of carries tonight...He just did a good job of being a one-cut runner tonight."

Bigsby did most of his work on the ground, but he took to the air on his one-yard run:

"Before the play even started, I said in my head, 'I got to get in,'" Bigsby told reporters.

That he did, and Nix starred alongside him.

An 11-yard TD run that showed off his speed and elusiveness opened the scoring in the first quarter:

Nix later scooted around the left end for a seven-yard score to give Auburn a 20-10 advantage:

Before the half ended, Nix accounted for his third touchdown when he hit Hunter for six:

The second half wasn't as fruitful for the Auburn offense, but the Tigers were able to keep the ball for more than 33 minutes thanks largely to their quarterback and running back. The offensive line certainly had a good night as well, helping the Tigers amass 483 yards.

Overall, it was an impressive showing for the Auburn offense, whose 28-point first-half outburst ended up being enough for the win.

   

Fantastic Effort From Corral

Chase Parham of Rivals put it best on Saturday:

Corral had a host of obstacles to overcome. In addition to his team's shorthanded offense (and his own left ankle injury), he was tasked with leading the Rebels into a hostile environment to face a hot Tigers team.

The Heisman Trophy candidate was also playing through a right ankle injury suffered against Tennessee on Oct. 16, making matters even more difficult.

All things considered, he was impressive considering the circumstances.

The injured ankles didn't stop Corral from rushing for his 11-yard touchdown to bring Ole Miss within one score in the second quarter:

He found himself in some good collegiate star company after that touchdown:

The rest of the game didn't go so well for Corral and the Rebels, who managed just three second-half points in a matchup that devolved into a defensive slugfest.

However, Corral's resilience in the face of significant adversity is one of the night's clear takeaways, and ESPN's Molly McGrath gave him a huge compliment following his effort.

The night didn't end in victory for Ole Miss, but Corral and the Rebels can still stand tall after a strong effort.

    

What's Next?

Both teams will play Saturday.

Ole Miss will host Liberty in Oxford, Mississippi's Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Auburn will visit No. 14 Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station.