Head coach Gus Malzahn talked about a stout Ole Miss defense on his 49th birthday at his weekly press conference Tuesday.
It will be the first ever meeting of top-10 teams in Oxford, Mississippi as Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC) takes on Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1 SEC) Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Rebels' defense has scored almost as many touchdowns as they have allowed this season.
"I would say it's the best defense that Ole Miss has had that I've went against, and they've had some good ones when I was a coordinator here before," Malzahn said. "They're extremely fast. They're very good up front, and they've got speed everywhere. I think they are good tacklers. This is one of the better defenses in the entire country. No doubt about that."
Ole Miss leads the nation in scoring defense and has given up a nation low eight touchdowns.
They lead the nation with 17 interceptions. Senior Senquez Golson is tied for the lead with eight.
The Rebels are the only school in the nation that hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points. They limited the last Alabama offense in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to just 10 total points.
The defense ranks second nationally with 24 turnovers, and holds the longest streak of consecutive games forcing at least one turnover (31).
"Their defense does an excellent job of making offenses execute on a consistent basis, which is extremely hard to do," Malzahn said. "They don't give up a lot of big plays, and they do a good job of keeping things in front of them. The big thing to me is they get turnovers."
Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes is only 1.5 sacks behind former South Carolina standout Jadeveon Clowney for the SEC freshman sacks record and leads the SEC with three forced fumbles this year, while junior cornerback Mike Hilton is tied for fourth in the SEC with three interceptions.
"That's got to be a focus of ours, protecting the football," Malzahn said. "It will be a big factor in the game."
Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche has started every game this year for the Rebels. The sophomore may not have intimidating stats, but he can draw consistent double-teams and be another way to hurt the Tigers' offense.
"Great player," senior center Reese Dismukes said. "I think he is up to his game this year. I think he is playing with more of an edge. We're going to have to be on our 'A game.'"
It will be an SEC West battle continued as Auburn's high-powered offense and a fierce Rebels' defense look to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.
"There are a lot of good defensive lines in this league and they're definitely up there with the best of them," Dismukes said. "They do a lot of good stuff. They play with an edge, and they have fun out there. I think that is one of the things they do well."
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