The Ole Miss football team travels back to Alabama, this time to take on the Auburn Tigers. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. and will be aired on the SEC Network.
Ole Miss (2-2, 0-1 SEC) comes into the game after a 66-3 loss to No. 1 team Alabama.
“After reviewing the tape, we want to give a lot of credit to Alabama,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke said, following last week’s loss. “They beat us soundly in all three phases. I think the biggest thing for our guys is simplifying and getting their confidence back to go play fast. We didn’t play very fast. When I watched the tape, we didn’t seem sure of ourselves and weren’t attacking.”
Quarterback Shea Patterson leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in passing yards per game (361.5). He is also ranked 15th nationally in passing efficiency (162.76) and 17th in touchdowns (11).
“Shea is a sophomore, and we are trying to get him as much experience as possible,” Luke said. “He was coming up to me, wanting to stay in the game and wanting to compete. I think him getting as much experience as possible is important.”
Auburn is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play entering this week’s game with Ole Miss. Since dropping a low-scoring affair on the road to No. 3 Clemson, 14-6, AU has rattled off three straight victories. The Tigers are coming off a dominating 49-10 win over Mississippi State. Allowing only 11.0 points per game, the Auburn defense ranks sixth nationally and has not surrendered more than 14 points a game this season.
The Tigers have found success in their passing game with quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who leads the SEC in completion percentage (72.0) and ranks eighth in the country. Stidham’s favorite target is Ryan Davis, a wide receiver who tops the conference with 29 receptions. On the ground, Kerryon Johnson has a knack for the end zone. He has only played three games this year, but his nine rushing TDs rank second nationally, and his 300 rushing yards are a team-high.
“Auburn is very good defensively, and they have a very good front seven,” Luke said. “They are really attacking very strong and are a top five defense in the country. Offensively, they are going to run the ball and attack us in the speed-sweep motion.”
The Rebels and the Tigers have met on the gridiron 41 times. Auburn leads the all-time series over Ole Miss with a record of 30-11. For games played in Auburn, the Rebels have only won three games out of 17 meetings. In the last three seasons, the road team has come away with the win.
Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.
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