The entirety of Auburn’s 35-28 win over Ole Miss was played out in the final two minutes when quarterback Bo Nix led the Tigers on a winning drive under pressure and Auburn’s defense made a last-second interception.
Until that point, the game was a back-and-forth, and it seemed it could go either way. Auburn held Ole Miss’s high-powered offense to just 14 points in the first half. However, it also scored 14 and started the second half in the same position it started the game: tied with Ole Miss.
By halftime, Auburn and Ole Miss had had similarly efficient offensive games while their defenses had both struggled to defend the run. The second half provided an opportunity to make a statement.
Freshman running back Tank Bigsby gave it his best. He opened the half with a 100-yard return for a touchdown. But a holding call negated it and forced Auburn to put together a drive. Ole Miss managed to completely turn the tide when it forced a punt and then tackled the punter before he could get the punt off.
Auburn’s defense snatched it back when cornerback Roger McCreary perfectly read the fake field goal and tackled the kicker for a turnover on downs.
Once things calmed down, Ole Miss was the first to get in the endzone. However, Auburn quickly responded, and the game evened out again. The game came down to the final minutes. Auburn was down by one point because of a botched extra point, but Nix took charge of the game. He and Williams helped the Tigers push ahead by five with a 58-yard touchdown pass. Then they connected for two more points on the two-point conversion.
With 1:11 yet, the defense had to step up. The Ole Miss offense had moved fast enough all game that it could work with 1:11. Although the defense let Corral run and pick up first downs, they forced him to take up a lot of time because they locked down all his options.
“So it went down to the very end,” coach Gus Malzahn said. “That’s just the way this year is going. But we’ve got an extremely tough week last week and our guys held it together. They fought and this will be some good momentum for us moving forward with the way we won.”
Running backs returned to health
Having all three running backs ready to go completely changed the game for Auburn. Although freshman Tank Bigsby had been doing well while Shaun Shivers was hurt and D.J. Williams was limited, Malzahn kept mentioning how the two older running backs return would add depth and experience to the run game.
Shivers made his return and took the start against Ole Miss. After being pushed back for a loss on his first carry, he found his stride. Ole Miss could not stop him as he bulldozed his way down the field. Bigsby stayed involved and brought his own style to the run game, bouncing off defenders and wiggling his way through gaps. Nix added a twist to the run game, as well. By the end of the first half, Auburn had 140 rushing yards, and all four rushers averaged five yards per carry or more. Both of its touchdowns were rushing touchdowns.
Overall, Bigsby handled most of the snaps. While he wasn’t the starter, he was still the lead rusher, running 129 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns. It was his third 100-yard game in a row. But Shivers’ return created depth. Shivers’ 11 carries were 11 times Bigsby could take a break. On top of that, Auburn’s production didn’t drop when Shivers took the ball instead of Bigsby. He still averaged over five yards per carry and finished with 60 yards and a touchdown.
“Shaun, he’s getting close to 100 percent,” Malzahn said. “He runs extremely hard. Those two — D.J. got a little banged up on that one run, so those two really carried the load. I thought they ran extremely hard and they broke tackles.”
Bo Nix keeps his cool
After an emotional game where Nix threw three interceptions and was caught arguing with his team on the bench, Nix rebounded and came out with more confidence against Ole Miss. He started the game with a bad read on an run-pass option play but quickly adjusted. He kept the ball on multiple zone reads and picked up 38 rushing yards in the first half.
“He responded like a champ,” Malzahn said. “You know, he came back and fought his tail off.”
The weather limited the passing game, and Nix only passed for 60 yards in the first half. However, many of his throws were short passes — his longest was 21 yards — and he completed nine out of 10 passes in the first two quarters. Nix made 11 straight completions before his next miss.
After several games where Nix showed a tendency to escape the pocket whether he needed to or not, Nix stayed and made better decisions. He scrambled several times but on plays where it was the best decision. He made a few poor decisions in pressure situations, but he showed overall improvement. For example, he kept his calm on third-and-long in the fourth when Ole Miss defenders were closing in on him. He found tight end John Samuel Shenker who picked up a critical first down.
Nix also demonstrated that his connection with receiver Seth Williams still stands, despite the argument last game. Late in the third quarter, he launched the ball 38-yards to where Williams was covered by two different Ole Miss players. Williams came down with it and set up an easy touchdown. With just over a minute left and the game on the line, Nix placed the ball on Williams’ outside shoulder. Williams grabbed it and carried it for the 58-yard touchdown. He trusted him again when the team went for the two-point conversion.
“It was like we all clicking on a different level,” Williams said. “We knew had to make it a gameday, a statement game. We wasn’t gonna let that game affect us and we were gonna come out and get a win no matter what.”
Nix finished the game with 238 passing yards — going 23-30 — 52 rushing yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and the win. He and Williams were seen congratulating each other with huge smiles on the sidelines.
Auburn’s defense steals points
For the most part, Saturday’s game was an exhibition of two new offenses. Ole Miss demonstrated its fast-paced offense under Lane Kiffin. Auburn showed what it can do under Chad Morris when things are moving smoothly. For the most part, it seemed like the game consisted of offensive drives.
However, Auburn’s defense had some key stops that allowed the Auburn offense to keep up with the Ole Miss one. On Ole Miss’s second drive of the game, cornerback Roger McCreary made an interception in the end zone, not only preventing Ole Miss from scoring but also setting up a touchdown drive for Auburn.
McCreary stepped up again when Ole Miss attempted to go ahead by kicking a field goal. Instead, the holder flipped the ball over his shoulder to the kicker, who headed for the end zone. McCreary was more than ready and stuffed their hopes of a touchdown right away.
Those plays made a difference in a game where Auburn’s defense otherwise matched Ole Miss’s defense. They held the Ole Miss offense to 5.6 yards per play while Ole Miss held Auburn to 6 yards per play. They stopped six third down attempts, and Ole Miss stopped five. But until the last drive, Auburn was 4-4 in the red zone while Ole Miss was 3-5 — thanks to McCreary’s stops.
Auburn’s defense stepped up at the very end when it slowed Ole Miss’s drive in the final minutes. Safety Jordyn Peters sealed the win when he intercepted Ole Miss’s final touchdown attempt.
“Our defense, when they needed to, came through,” Malzahn said after the game.
