An upstart No. 4 Auburn team rolled into Vaught-Hemingway stadium to try and beat the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels, who were led by Robert Nkemdiche and Bo Wallace. It was a back and forth affair as Nick Marshall got the night’s festivities off to a hot start with a two-yard scamper for a score after leading a drive down the field.
Ole Miss promptly answered with a touchdown of their own, as I’Tavius Mathers scored on a four-yard run to end the quarter.
Current Chicago Bear and former Ole Miss standout Laquon Treadwell scored for the Rebels in the second quarter after receiving a great ball from Bo Wallace for a ten-yard touchdown catch.
Auburn would not stay down for long, in typical Marshall fashion, the quarterback found Sammie Coates deep downfield for a 57-yard touchdown heave, torching the Ole Miss secondary. Ole Miss would respond with a Gary Wunderlich field goal at the end of the quarter however to end things in the first half, with the Rebels on top 17-14.
After lulls in the first two possessions of the third by both teams. Ole Miss finally found some life, current New York Giant Evan Engram caught a bomb from Wallace to push things further in the Rebels favor 24-14. Auburn would respond with a march downfield that would culminate in another Marshall scamper to cut things to 24-21.
After a subsequent failed possession by the Rebels, the Tigers would find a way to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter. After an 11-play drive Marshall would find Marcus Davis for a 17-yard touchdown catch, which gave Auburn a 28-24 lead.
Ole Miss would not let up though, as the Rebels mounted a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a seven-yard touchdown run to bring Ole Miss in front once again 31-28.
The Tigers would score the final touchdown of the night on a nine-play, 75-yard march down the field to seal things with a Cameron Artis-Payne touchdown that would end up proving vital to put the Tigers up 35-31.
After posting a long drive that ended in a fumble, Ole Miss would get the ball back late in the game amid a six-play, 51-yard drive encroaching on the Tigers end zone.
But things just did not go the Rebels way, on the last play of the drive, Wallace threw a screen to Treadwell that seemed destined for a score. However, Auburn linebacker Kris Frost made a play that finally ended his run at the one-yard line, after an awkward landing that would cause Treadwell to break his leg. The receiver also fumbled the ball which Auburn linebacker Cassanova McKinzy would recover to kill the Rebels hopes in the ball game.
Both teams were highly ranked in the AP Poll at the time, but both of these teams seasons would end in disappointment after hot starts. This still does not take away from one of the most exciting battles in SEC play in 2014, with two teams who took it to the wire on a chilly night Oxford, Mississippi that turned into an instant classic.
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