Auburn upset Ole Miss 30-22 in front of a crowd of 86,504 people at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday night Oct. 5.
"Obviously it was a very big win against a good team on our home field, and I'm very proud of our defense especially in the fourth quarter," said head coach Gus Malzahn. "Also the crowd was unbelievable and really helped us win the game."
Nick Marshall's 140-yard rushing performance made him the fourth 100-yard rusher for Auburn this season, which is the most in school history. Cameron Artis-Payne, Corey Grant, and Tre Mason all have had a 100-yard rushing game this season.
"I was just taking what the defense gave me, and I really knew what was coming the majority of the time, so I was prepared for what they had coming," Marshall said.
Auburn scored first with a quick drive up the field that ended with a two-yard Tre Mason touchdown run. Malzahn called for a two-point conversion but Ryan White threw an incompletion to keep the score at 6-0.
Auburn got the momentum back after Robenson Therezie got an interception and returned it for a 78-yard touchdown to make the score 13-3.
Despite Ole Miss having the possession of the ball more than Auburn in the first half, Auburn led 20-6 at halftime.
Nick Marshall ran for his first career rushing touchdown in the second quarter and added another rushing touchdown in the third quarter to complete a nine-play 70-yard drive.
Bo Wallace responded for Ole Miss with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief to make it 27-16 and that score stayed the same until 8:29 was remaining in the fourth quarter.
Wallace once again connected with Moncrief with a 13-yard touchdown pass to bring Ole Miss closer, making the score 27-22. Ole Miss then failed to convert the two-point conversion.
It then looked like Auburn had the game in hand, but Ole Miss forced a Artis-Payne fumble with 8:21 to go in the fourth.
But on the following offensive drive Wallace threw an interception to Ryan Smith.
Cody Parkey kicked a 23-yard field goal with three minutes left to increase Auburn's lead to eight points.
Auburn's defense came up big once again with two consecutive sacks to force a turnover on downs. Marshall then took a knee to seal the Auburn victory and remain perfect at home this season.
The victory was the first against a ranked opponent since defeating South Carolina in 2011.
"We talked about getting better each week. We knew we were going to have to play better than we did against LSU to have a chance to beat them, and we did," Malzahn said. "There were some mistakes that we can still improve, a few turnovers we have to correct, but our defense picked us up right there, and we beat a good team."
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