Instant analysis: Auburn knocks off Ole Miss

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Instant analysis: Auburn knocks off Ole Miss for 1st top-10 win since 2019

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-6 minutes

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Oct 30, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; Bo Nix (10) rushes for a touchdown during the game between Auburn and Ole Miss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Bryan Harsin’s team is up to something in Year 1.

Two weeks removed from a big-time road win against Arkansas, and fresh off a bye week, No. 18 Auburn picked up its second straight win against a ranked opponent — and its biggest win this season to date — by knocking off No. 10 Ole Miss, 31-20, Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Tigers (6-2, 3-1 SEC) never trailed against the Rebels (6-2, 3-2) thanks to an efficient first half performance offensively — building a double-digit lead by halftime thanks to strong efforts from Bo Nix and Tank Bigsby — and a tough-as-nails second-half showing from a defense that limited Lane Kiffin’s high-powered offense to a lone field goal after halftime. As Auburn continues to climb, with another shot at a top-25 win next week at No. 14 Texas A&M, here’s a look at how the Tigers picked up their biggest win of the Harsin era:

Bo Nix’s stock continue to rise

Two weeks ago, following arguably the best game of his career, Bo Nix was asked what has changed for him since his second-half benching against Georgia State. His response was “nothing really”—just that competition has brought out the best in him.

The third-year quarterback continued to hot play over the last month, coming out of the bye with another exemplary performance for Auburn. He completed 22-of-30 for 276 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns — one passing and two with his legs.

Nix guided Auburn to touchdowns on four of its five first-half drives, completing 12-of-15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, plus two rushing scores as the Tigers built an 11-point halftime advantage.

Tank Bigsby returns to form

Tank Bigsby opened the season with three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, but his production fell off over the Tigers’ last four games. Harsin was asked a few weeks back if the sophomore running back was dealing with any sort of injury, and he said he wasn’t. Whatever was the case, Bigsby returned to form against Ole Miss — running hard and running angry to resurrect an Auburn rushing attack that has struggled in recent weeks.

Bigsby ran for a season-high 140 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. It was by far his best performance since running for 102 yards against Penn State in Week 3 of the season. He eclipsed his total from each of the last three games in the first quarter alone, running for 70 yards and a touchdown in the opening period.

Bigsby’s resurgence helped elevate a rushing attack that had thus far struggled in SEC play. Auburn finished with 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground against Ole Miss, giving the Tigers their best rushing performance since Week 2 against Alabama State.

Defensive adjustments help Auburn survive offensive lull

Auburn had some trouble slowing down Ole Miss’ offense in the first half, at least when Matt Corral was in the game. The Heisman contender briefly exited the game with a left ankle injury but returned to keep the Rebels in the thick of things, completing 12-of-15 passes for 123 yards and a rushing touchdown in the first half.

He hit Auburn with an array of slants and quick passes out of RPOs that kept the Tigers on their heels at times in the first half. Derek Mason and his unit adjusted at halftime, though, and it proved large for Auburn—especially as its own offense underwent a second-half lull. Auburn’s defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs to open the third quarter, and then it got a fourth-down stop on the edge of the red zone to keep Ole Miss off the board following a muffed punt by Demetris Robertson.

On the Rebels’ ensuing drive, they got into the red zone after back-to-back plays of 20-plus yards — their first two such plays of the night—but then settled for a field goal after the Tigers’ defense forced three incompletions from Corral (and was aided by a pair of offensive penalties against Ole Miss).

Auburn got another fourth-down stop on Ole Miss’ next drive, this time with Colby Wooden nearly sacking Corral on fourth-and-7 from the 13 and forcing the quarterback to throw the ball through the back of the end zone. The cherry on top of Auburn’s second-half defensive effort came with about 9 minutes to play, when Jaylin Simpson picked off Corral in the end zone after Ole Miss got down to the Auburn 14-yard line and threatened to cut into the Tigers’ 31-20 lead.

Auburn’s defense added another fourth-down stop late in the fourth, as the Tigers (who entered the game with the nation’s fourth-best fourth-down defense) got stops on three of the four fourth-down attempts by the Rebels (who entered the night with the most fourth-down attempts and conversions in the country).

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.