Ole Miss vs. Auburn: 5 Things We Learned in Tigers' Win over Ole Miss Rebels

Saturday night against Ole Miss, Auburn won its sixth game of the season, qualifying for a bowl invite.

The Tigers defeated the Rebels 41-23 with a big second half performance at Jordan-Hare Stadium; Auburn is now 6-3 on the season and 4-2 in SEC play.

This game confirmed some things we previously thought and introduced things we may not have expected.

Click through the slide show to see five things we learned in the victory tonight.

Auburn Can Run the Football Effectively

Auburn came into this game averaging 183 rushing yards per game, good for fourth in the conference.

Saturday, Auburn ran 65 offensive plays and 50 of them were run plays.

Six players ran the football for Auburn and as a group they ran for over five yards per carry.

In total the Tigers ran for 254 rushing yards in the victory and will move into third in the SEC in rushing yards per game, now averaging an impressive 191 rush yards per contest.

Look for Auburn to continue to successfully pound the ball on the ground as the season continues.

Michael Dyer Is Special

Last season, as a freshman, Tigers running back Michael Dyer burst onto the SEC team and helped Auburn to a BCS National Championship.

He was the MVP of the national championship game in the win over Oregon, and finished the 2010 season with over 1,000 yards.

Some wondered whether Dyer could excel in 2011 with a rebuilt offensive line and without star quarterback Cam Newton.

He has now answered all critics, as the super sophomore rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown in the win over Ole Miss.

That gives Dyer a big 989 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in just nine games.

The star back will exceed his rushing totals from a year ago and should end this year as a first team All-SEC performer.

Clint Moseley Stepped Up

In his first start of the season, replacing the struggling No. 1 Barrett Trotter, Auburn quarterback Clint Moseley was forced to face a dominant LSU defense.

Under constant pressure from the LSU defense, Moseley failed to produce enough positive plays and ended up with less-than-impressive stats.

Some wondered if Moseley could bounce back from that tough start and lead the Auburn offense effectively.

He answered those critics with a big night against the Rebels.

The sophomore quarterback was a solid 12-of-15 passing for 160 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He had just three incomplete passes in the entire game.

If Moseley can keep gaining confidence and continue this type of play, combined with Dyer and the running game, Auburn has a chance in any matchup for the rest of the season.

The Rush Defense Is Poor

The Auburn defense gave up way too many rushing yards to Ole Miss, especially in the first half.

The Tigers let the Rebels stay close in this game early on, by giving up chunks of yards to the Ole Miss running backs.

Ole Miss running back Brandon Bolden ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn and the Rebel backs combined for 220 yards on the night.

That means that Auburn has given up 175-plus rushing yards in six of their nine games this season.

Auburn now ranks just 10th in the SEC in rush defense, allowing over 205 rushing yards per game.

The Tigers must tighten up the rush defense with games against the strong running attacks of Georgia and Alabama coming up.

Auburn Winning Turnover Battle

Turnover margin is one of the biggest keys in winning football games.

After finishing the 2010 national title season with a plus-fve turnover margin, and with losing so much talent and experience throughout the depth chart, the Tigers needed to continue to have a positive outcome in the turnover column.

In the win over Ole Miss Saturday, Auburn finished with a plus-one margin, as they created three turnovers on defense and lost just two turnovers in the game.

That gives Auburn a plus-two turnover margin so far in 2011, which is one of the main reasons they have clinched a winning record this season.