Struggling in SEC play, the Tigers returned to a sold-out crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium in hopes of securing a big win over the No. 13 Rebels. But Ole Miss shutdown that goal, securing a 28-21 win.
“The margin for us between winning and losing right now is so small that you can’t mess those things up, and obviously, you know, I’ve got to do a better job to make sure we don’t make those mistakes,” said head coach Hugh Freeze.
Auburn kept up with Ole Miss’s electric offense in the first half, responding to each touchdown scored. The Tigers’ offense shined in the first half but crumbled in the second, struggling to create a substantial offensive drive.
“It’s really frustrating for me because our defense is real, real good,” said tight end Rivaldo Fairweather. “We just – at some point – gotta find a way to help our defense, and we will. We’re gonna go back to the drawing table and go back to practice…”
In the first half, Auburn had 140 total yards – 114 rushing and 26 passing – compared to the second half’s 135 total yards – 39 rushing and 96 passing, most of which came on Auburn's last drive of the game.
“We continue to lose the battles on third and fourth down, and you know, that’s disappointing,” Freeze said. “...We wanted to get to the fourth quarter and shorten the game, and maybe that was the wrong approach.”
With the chance of an upset in the first half, the third quarter completely changed the game’s direction. Auburn had only 14 total yards for the entire duration of the third, averaging 1.3 yards per play. While in the first quarter, the Tigers had 102 total yards and averaged 7.8 yards per play.
“We just got to execute,” Fairweather said. “We just have to come with a better pass game. It’s just executing the plays and just making plays for our quarterbacks when (they) give us a shot. We just gotta go out there and play our hardest.”
This season, the Tigers’ offense averages 347 total yards per game (191.5 rushing and 155.8 passing). Last week against LSU, Auburn collected 293 total yards – 139 rushing and 154 passing – compared to tonight’s 275 total yards – 153 rushing and 122 passing.
“Right now, we just kind of gotta look towards the next game and stuff,” said offensive lineman Gunner Britton. “Obviously, it’s really tough, (playing) four ranked teams back-to-back-to-back…. There’s nothing you can really do to change the game. You just got to go and watch the film and move on from there.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
