Auburn vs Ole Miss preview headlines a Saturday slate with the No. 12 Rebels looking to steady themselves after back-to-back defeats while the Tigers try to salvage a rocky stretch of their own. Ole Miss (5-2) hosts Auburn (4-3) on Oct. 31 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, with both teams coming off losses that exposed real weaknesses on defense.
The Rebels dropped a 34-27 decision at Texas on Oct. 24, their second loss in three games after a 52-28 defeat to Florida in late September. Auburn enters on a longer skid, having lost four of its last five, including a 38-17 setback against LSU last week. Despite the recent results, Auburn still owns the signature win of the group: a 27-24 upset of then-No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 17, detailed in Total Apex Sports’ coverage of that walk-off field goal.
Auburn Vs Ole Miss Game Information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
- Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
- Venue: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
- TV/Streaming: SEC Network, ERADM
- Weather: 70 degrees, 7% chance of precipitation
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Ole Miss 36.0, Auburn 25.4
- Total yards per game: Ole Miss 432.9, Auburn 376.4
- Passing yards per game: Ole Miss 284.9, Auburn 211.0
- Rushing yards per game: Ole Miss 148.0, Auburn 165.4
- Third-down conversion rate: Ole Miss 44.44%, Auburn 42.99%
- Sacks allowed: Ole Miss 5, Auburn 30
- Takeaways: Ole Miss 11, Auburn 11
- Giveaways: Ole Miss 11, Auburn 9
- Turnover differential: Ole Miss 0, Auburn +2
Auburn Tigers Outlook
Auburn brings a 4-3 record and a four-game-in-five losing stretch into Oxford, but the offense still has a dual-threat problem for defenses to solve. Quarterback Byrum Brown is the team’s leading passer and rusher, completing 134 of 209 throws for 1,365 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while also carrying 126 times for 479 yards and six scores. Brown is expected to start under center again.
The bigger concern is protection. Auburn has allowed 30 sacks through seven games, an average of 4.3 per contest, a number that has repeatedly disrupted its passing rhythm. Keshaun Singleton leads the receiving corps with 36 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns and is projected to remain the top target. Auburn’s plus-2 turnover differential, built on 11 takeaways against nine giveaways, has been one of the few bright spots, but the unit will need to force mistakes against a Rebels offense averaging 36 points a game.
Ole Miss Rebels Outlook
Ole Miss enters at 5-2 and ranked No. 12, with an offense built around quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has thrown for 1,926 yards and 16 touchdowns against seven interceptions on 167-of-262 passing. Chambliss is projected to start after directing an attack that averages 432.9 total yards per game, the headline figure in this matchup.
Running back Kewan Lacy has carried 78 times for 388 yards and five touchdowns, while Deuce Alexander leads all receivers with 43 catches for 610 yards and five scores. The Rebels defense has been stingy in pass protection, surrendering just five sacks all season, but it has also allowed consecutive losses in which opponents topped 30 points, including Texas’ 34-27 win last week.
Key Matchup
Auburn’s beleaguered offensive line against an Ole Miss defense that has generated 13 sacks this season shapes up as the game’s pivotal battle. Brown has absorbed 4.3 sacks per game, and any repeat of that rate against a Rebels front seeking to stop the bleeding after back-to-back losses would make it difficult for Auburn to sustain drives. Ole Miss also needs its own offensive line to hold up, since the unit has allowed only five sacks on the season, a stark contrast that could determine which quarterback has more time to operate.
Players To Watch
Byrum Brown, Auburn QB
Brown accounts for Auburn’s top passing and rushing numbers, with 479 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go with his 1,365 passing yards. His ability to extend plays with his legs will matter against an Ole Miss defense that has posted 13 sacks and 33 tackles for loss this season.
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss QB
Chambliss has thrown 16 touchdown passes against seven interceptions while averaging 284.9 passing yards per game. He will look to bounce back after Ole Miss’ offense was held to 27 points in last week’s loss at Texas.
Deuce Alexander, Ole Miss WR
Alexander’s 610 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 43 catches make him the Rebels’ most productive target and a likely focal point in the passing game.
What To Watch
Ole Miss has lost two of its last three games and needs a response at home to steady a season that still carries a No. 12 ranking. Auburn, fresh off its upset of Georgia detailed in Total Apex Sports’ preview of that matchup, is trying to show that win was not an outlier following its loss to LSU, covered in the site’s LSU-Auburn preview. Auburn’s offensive line performance against Ole Miss’ pass rush, and whether the Rebels defense can turn around its recent scoring trend, stand out as the clearest storylines entering Saturday. Auburn’s defensive communication after facing Tennessee’s offense, outlined in the site’s earlier Auburn preview, could also be tested by Ole Miss’ balanced attack.
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