Auburn Football: QB Nick Marshall's Blueprint to Beating Ole Miss

In the first ever meeting between two Top 10 teams in Oxford, Auburn will have to rely on quarterback Nick Marshall when it travels to battle Ole Miss on Saturday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN).

Not only are SEC West title hopes on the line, but a shot at national title will also be up for grabs. Currently ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, the Tigers and Rebels will play out what will most likely serve as an elimination match.

Here’s what Marshall has to do to lead Auburn to victory.

Overcome Road Woes

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

It’s no secret that most quarterbacks don’t enjoy playing on the road.

According to Bleacher Report's Seph Anderson, that’s especially true for Marshall:

His passer rating of 118.4 away from home is underwhelming compared to his 165.1 rating at Auburn.

But the struggles aren’t just for this season alone. The same woes rang true last year as well, when Marshall only threw four touchdowns, three interceptions and completed just 53.5 percent of his passes in four games away from home.

With Ole Miss chasing the school’s first national title in quite some time, it’s going to be obnoxiously loud in Oxford Saturday night. Marshall better be prepared to handle it better than he has in the past.

Limit the Mistakes

As mentioned earlier, all three of Marshall’s interceptions have come on the road.

Against the Rebels, the Tigers can’t afford those same lapses in judgment. Ole Miss ranks second in the nation in interceptions (17)—returning three of those for touchdowns—and second in turnovers forced (24).

Although Auburn has been good with ball management, only losing 10 turnovers all season, the team has suffered some missteps in recent weeks. The Tigers have lost five turnovers over the last two games.

“What they’re doing this year is incredible,” Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee told AL.com’s Brandon Marcello about Ole Miss' defense. “They are generating turnovers at an unbelievable rate, they’re scoring touchdowns themselves. ... That’s pretty much unheard of.”

If Marshall wants to keep the Tigers' national title hopes alive, he will have to be extremely precise when making throws.

Get Involved in the Rushing Attack

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

Marshall should steal a page from LSU’s playbook in beating Ole Miss last weekend.

In a 10-7 victory last Saturday, LSU kept the ball on the ground continuously. When all was said and done, the team racked up 264 yards on 55 carries.

Auburn might need to run the ball just as many times this weekend.

Through eight games, the Rebels have been a very solid run defense. The unit ranks No. 23 against the run (118.0 YPG) while only conceding three rushing touchdowns on a meager 3.2 yards per carry.

During last year’s meeting with Ole Miss, Marshall had tremendous success on the ground. He set a then-career high for rushing yards with 140 on 14 carries while finding the end zone twice.

Thus far, the Pineview, Georgia, native has had a lot of success running the ball this season. He’s racked up 581 yards on 85 carries—his 6.8 yards-per-carry average is higher than last year—and has scored seven touchdowns.

In a battle of strengths, Marshall has to believe his is stronger than the Rebels’.

All stats, recruiting information and rankings used in this article are courtesy of cfbstats.com and 247Sports.

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