Auburn vs. Ole Miss: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
A war of wills will rule a Saturday encounter that amounts to an elimination game between the No. 3 Auburn Tigers and No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels.
Both SEC West powers have stumbled over hurdles over the course of the past few weeks, but both still have the inaugural College Football Playoff in sight despite sitting behind No. 1 Mississippi State in the conference.
Auburn, of course, touts one of the nation's best offenses behind the genius of coach Gus Malzahn. Hugh Freeze's team remains a defensive powerhouse that has humbled teams such as Alabama and Texas A&M this season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Cliche? Sure, but something has to give in a matchup that has ridden the ebbs and flows of importance as both teams have been up and down. Now that it is here, though, no contest is more important for either program.
Impose Thy Will
The Tigers butter their bread on the offensive side of things, primarily on the ground, as the team ranks No. 10 in the nation with an average of 281.0 rushing yards per game.
Last week's win over the South Carolina Gamecocks speaks well to this notion. Auburn totaled 395 total yards on the ground along with five scores for an average of 8.4 yards per rush. Lead back Cameron Artis-Payne had 167 and a score on his own, a sign that he will be used more than ever after Malzahn switched things up after the bye.
An illustration by Auburn Gold Mine puts this best:
For an elite ground attack to fend off an upset, though, it must perform well against the nation's No. 1 overall defense. The Rebels surrender just 10.5 points per game.
In a 23-17 upset of Alabama, the Crimson Tide managed a 6-of-16 mark on third downs and just 168 rushing yards on 3.8 yards per carry. A 35-20 upset over Texas A&M yielded similar results, with the Aggies going 7-of-18 on third downs and getting just 54 rushing yards on a 1.5 yards-per-attempt average.
On a week-to-week basis, Auburn has never truly had much issue moving the football while the Ole Miss defense has never truly faltered. It makes for an unpredictable encounter Saturday as a war of contrasting, consistent styles typically tends to do.
Comeback Story
At face value, this is a heavyweight bout that is one of the most important of the season.
Then again, both teams have struggled mightily in recent weeks.
Auburn was turned away against the Bulldogs on October 11. Given the prowess of quarterback Dak Prescott and Co., it truly was a forgivable loss. But then Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall and his team went out last week and hardly got past the aforementioned Gamecocks.
The defense was a particularly weak point for the Tigers, as it allowed 416 passing yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Meanwhile, a loss to LSU in Death Valley, 10-7, is even more concerning for the Rebels. Quarterback Bo Wallace, despite all of the good done this year, reaffirmed questions about his turnover traits with a critical late interception.
More importantly, the Tigers brutalized the normally elite defense on the ground for 264 yards on a 4.8 yards-per-carry average. Should that be a sign of things to come, the Rebels are in trouble come Saturday.
"We still could control everything we want with the schedule that lies ahead," said Freeze, per The Clarion-Ledger's Hugh Kellenberger. "We're going to have to play really good football. They're sore and down, and they're disappointed. Hopefully, we'll respond in the correct way."
A pair of title contenders have been tested thoroughly in the worst of ways over the course of the past few weeks. A failure to properly recover and patch holes will prove the sign of a pretender, not a contender.
When: Saturday, November 1, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field, Oxford, Mississippi
Television: ESPN
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 50.5
- Spread: Ole Miss (-3)
Team Injury Reports
| Gage Batten | FB | 08/31/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Jordan Diamond | G | 09/26/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | undisclosed |
| Raashed Kennion | DE | 10/26/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Out | ankle |
| Alex Kozan | G | 08/02/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | back |
| Carl Lawson | DE | 07/15/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Patrick Miller | T | 10/26/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss | Probable | knee |
| Patrick Young | FB | 08/31/2014 | is expected to miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Anthony Alford | S | 10/01/2014 | has left the team | Out | personal |
| Chief Brown | DB | 08/03/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | Achilles |
| Matt Brown | TE | 09/08/2014 | is expected to miss 6-8 weeks | Out | leg |
| Carlos Davis | CB | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Collins Moore | WR | 10/22/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Denzel Nkemdiche | LB | 10/27/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | ankle |
| Robert Nkemdiche | DT | 10/26/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Auburn | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Cody Prewitt | S | 10/26/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Auburn | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Tee Shepard | CB | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | toe |
| Ben Still | C | 10/28/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Auburn | Questionable | knee |
| Laremy Tunsil | T | 10/26/2014 | is probable for Saturday's game against Auburn | Probable | bicep |
Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
If Auburn stays committed to the rush and the defense can keep Wallace under pressure using the blueprint recently crafted by LSU, the Tigers certainly have what it takes to pull off an upset Saturday.
The problem with Ole Miss is that the team is comfortable plodding at a slower pace and using great defense to win games. That works when the defense holds, but it is hard to see it doing so against the potent Auburn rushing attack.
Forced to the air, the Rebels do not have enough offensive firepower to play from behind well. Add in the propensity for mistakes from Wallace, and his team—new to the stage as a contender—becomes a difficult horse to back against a team with title-game experience.
It will be close, but Auburn's offense has the legs to win.
Prediction: Tigers 28, Rebels 24
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
