Game To Watch: #10 Mississippi at #18 Auburn: October 30, 2021

Mississippi travels to Auburn for a top 25 match-up on Saturday at 7:00 EST. The Rebels beat LSU 31 – 17 last week to run their record to 6 – 1 overall and 3 – 1 in SEC play. The Tigers had a bye week after beating Arkansas on the road and come into the game 5 – 2 overall and 2 – 1 in SEC play. With just one conference loss each, both teams are still in the thick of the SEC West race.

Recent History

Auburn is 34 – 10 all time against Mississippi. The Tigers have won five in a row including a 35 – 28 win at Oxford in last year’s match-up. The Rebels last win in the series came in 2015 when they went on the road and won 27 – 19. The last two games between these teams have been decided by a touchdown or less.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Will Auburn get the Running Game Going?

Auburn started the season with back to back 300 yard rushing games, but has been been unable to get the running game going of late. The Tigers have not reached 200 yards rushing in any game since and have failed to reach four yards per carry the last two games. The Auburn offensive line has struggled to open up holes against better defenses, but the talent in the backfield is still there. Tank Bigsby is an excellent running back who can carry the load for the offense. Jarquez Hunter adds an explosive weapon who can spell Bigsby and keep both backs fresh the whole game. In addition to the two backs, Bo Nix is a capable runner as well. Auburn has the weapons in the backfield, they just need the blocking to provide running lanes to get the running attack going. Mississippi’s defense has improved from last year, but that was not a high hurdle to clear. The Rebels are still 13th in the conference with 181 rushing yards allowed per game, though they do rank 9th in yards per carry allowed with 4.1. The Rebels did hold LSU to 77 rushing yards last week, but gave up 260 rushing yards per game in their three SEC games prior to that. Auburn should be able to get their running game rolling on Saturday, which will provide some balance for the offense.

Can Auburn Contain Matt Corral?

Matt Corral had a good season last year, but has elevated his play to new heights in 2021. The star quarterback is completing 68 percent of his passes, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt and has a 15 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. He has also been a major threat to run the ball, Corral has 474 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground in seven games. He is on the short list for the Heisman Trophy this year and is the leader of a Rebels offense that averages 41.9 points per game. To stop the Mississippi offense, Auburn has to contain Corral. The Tigers have the fourth best scoring defense in the SEC, holding opponents to 19.7 points per game. The Tigers have been strong against the run, allowing 3.2 yards per carry and 124 yards per game for the season, good for third and fifth in the SEC respectively. The pass defense however, has not been as strong, ranking eighth in yards per game and yards per attempt this year. The Auburn defense will have to get pressure on Corral and take away the big plays in the passing game to keep the Rebels offense from putting up a big number.

More Bo Nix Magic?

Bo Nix has definitely seen his share of ups and downs at Auburn. He started as a true freshman, proved he was a clutch performer, has gone through a coaching change, had his share of struggles as a passer and was even benched during a game. Despite all of the challenges, Nix has always been a tough competitor who has a flair for the dramatic. Nix doesn’t always put up gaudy stats, but he can ad-lib and create big plays out of nothing as well as anyone. He evades pressure and scrambles around in the backfield until receivers are able to come open. His off script play-making ability has give Auburn a boost several times this year and may be needed against Mississippi. The Rebels’ defense has been great at getting to the quarterback this year. They have recorded 23 sacks in seven games, one sack away from the conference lead in sacks and sacks per game. Mississippi has been even better of late, recording five sacks in each of their last two games against Tennessee and LSU. They will need to do more of the same Saturday, because Bo Nix has a knack for evading sacks and making some magic to turn those plays into big ones for the offense instead of wins for the defense.

Prediction

Auburn’s defense is good enough to keep Mississippi from jumping out to a fast start. This will help Auburn dictate how they want to attack the Mississippi defense instead of playing catch-up. The Rebels will hit some big plays, because their offense is too explosive not to, but Auburn will score enough to get the win. Auburn 34 Mississippi 31.

Jordan-Hare Stadium Panorama.jpg Image taken by Sphiro is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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