79: That is the number of pounds Auburn defensive tackle Kenneth Carter has on Ole Miss quarterback Brandon Wallace. That difference didn’t stop Wallace from dragging the lineman into the end zone to ice the game after slipping from the arms of defensive end Corey Lemonier on a 2-yard run. Between the poor tackling and lack of energy on defense, the Rebels had no problem hanging 17 points on Auburn in the fourth quarter.
12: Ole Miss had lost 12 consecutive conference games heading into the game against Auburn. The Tigers were tied with the Rebels 17–17 at the half and looked ready to keep that streak alive, but Ole Miss went on a 24–3 run in the second half to break both the tie and the streak. Auburn has now lost six straight SEC games and will try to snap that streak against Vanderbilt Saturday, Oct. 20.
0: Quarterback Clint Moseley had zero touchdowns against the Rebels. Besides the obvious hindrances caused by not scoring points, this performance kept alive another unfavorable streak: Moseley has never passed for a touchdown in consecutive games. In fact, in Moseley’s last seven games — not including the Chick-fil-A Bowl — weeks in which he passed for a touchdown have always been followed by a zero-touchdown, one-interception performance. Moseley threw for one touchdown against Arkansas. He left Oxford with one interception, no touchdowns.
24: Auburn has now allowed at least 24 points in five of the team’s six games. Last season, the Tigers allowed 24 or more points in eight of their 13 games. Whatever the cause, the defense looks uncomfortably similar to the one that cost former defensive coordinator Ted Roof his job. Heading into the second half of the season, defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder must find a better way to get his message across to the defense. Besides an inspired effort vs. LSU, missed tackles, missed assignments and miscommunication have cost Auburn leads and chances to stay within striking distance of opponents.
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