OXFORD, Miss. — No. 12 Ole Miss heads home this week needing a bounce-back win, with Auburn coming to Oxford on Saturday, Oct. 31, for a 12:45 p.m. Eastern kickoff in SEC play.
The Rebels sit at 5-2 after falling 34-27 at Texas on Oct. 24. They trailed 24-3 at halftime in Austin and clawed back to tie the game at 24, helped by a Kam Franklin fumble return for a score and three takeaways, before the Longhorns pulled away late.
Trinidad Chambliss had a rough night by his standards, completing 25 of 52 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Horatio Fields caught two touchdown passes, and Deuce Alexander added eight catches for 87 yards. For the season, Chambliss has thrown for 1,926 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Alexander leads the team with 610 receiving yards.
The bigger worry is up front on defense. Texas ran for 222 yards against the Rebels, and stopping the run has been a problem for Pete Golding’s group for most of the year. Ole Miss also ranks 104th nationally in third-down defense, letting opponents convert 41.3% of the time.
Auburn arrives at 4-3 after a 38-17 loss to LSU. Quarterback Byrum Brown is the Tigers’ engine as both their leading passer, at 1,362 yards, and their top rusher, with 480 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Auburn has struggled to protect its end zone, allowing scores on 95.2% of opponent trips inside the 20, while the Rebels’ red zone offense ranks fifth in the country.
After Auburn, Ole Miss stays home to host No. 3 Georgia on Nov. 7.
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