Bo Nix, No. 11 Auburn Hold on to Beat Ole Miss 20-14 Ahead of Georgia Matchup
November 3, 2019
Bo Nix and the 11th-ranked Auburn Tigers got back on track with a 20-14 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.
Nix led the way for the Tigers with 340 yards passing and a rushing touchdown.
Auburn entered Saturday having lost two of its last three games, falling to then-No. 10 Florida and then-No. 2 LSU. It marked the team's first home game since Sept. 28.
Notable Performances
Ole Miss
QB John Rhys Plumlee: 11-of-21, 86 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception; 17 carries, 92 yards, one touchdown
RB Jerrion Ealy: 14 carries, 44 yards
WR Snoop Conner: two catches, 33 yards; six carries, 20 yards, one touchdown
Auburn
QB Bo Nix: 30-of-44, 340 yards, zero touchdowns; eight carries, 20 yards, one touchdown
RB D.J. Williams: 24 carries, 93 yards, one touchdown
RB Harold Joiner: one catch, 78 yards; one carry, three yards
WR Anthony Schwartz: nine catches, 89 yards
K Anders Carlson: 2-of-5 FG
Nix Helps Tigers Overcome Early Mistakes Behind Career Night
Auburn and Ole Miss were locked in a scoreless battle for much of the first half.
However, the Tigers did have several chances to get on the board early on before they made critical mistakes.
Nix and Co. made their way inside of the Ole Miss 35-yard line on each of their first three possessions. But they missed two field goals and fumbled once, which left them with zero points.
Auburn finally scored with six minutes remaining in the first half. But before kicking a field goal from the Ole Miss 2-yard line, the Rebels nearly picked off Nix on an ill-advised throw to the end zone.
That field goal seemed to get the Tigers back on track offensively.
On their next drive, running back Harold Joiner took a pass 78 yards to the Rebels' 1-yard line, which set the table for the game's first touchdown. Running back D.J. Williams made his way into the end zone on the next play to extend the lead to 10-0.
After the field goal, Auburn scored on three of its next four possessions (not including a one-play "drive" at the end of the first half) to establish firm control, and Nix was right in the middle of the charge.
Entering Saturday night, the freshman had not attempted more than 37 passes in a game, nor had he completed more than 19 passes. He breezed past both of those totals en route to a career night.
He finished with a career-high 340 yards, marking the second time this season he eclipsed the 300-yard plateau.
Nix was far from perfect, but he came through for his team on a night in which the Tigers had trouble getting out of their own way.
With matchups against No. 8 Georgia and No. 2 Alabama still looming, Auburn will have to clean up its offensive miscues to pull off either upset.
No two-loss team has ever made the College Football Playoff, but if the Tigers win out, they would have enough quality victories to give the committee something to think about.
What's Next
Ole Miss (3-6) will return home to host New Mexico State on Nov. 9. Auburn (7-2) will be off until Nov. 16, when No. 8 Georgia comes to town for a pivotal SEC showdown.