At a Glance
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.
Kickoff: 6 p.m.
Television: ESPNU
Radio: Ole Miss Network, XM 199; Sirius 219.
Records: Ole Miss 2-5, 0-4 SEC, Auburn 5-3, 3-2 SEC
Series: Auburn leads 26-9
Coaches: Auburn – Gene Chizik, 32-27, 5th season overall, 27-8, third year at Auburn. Ole Miss – Houston Nutt 135-91 19th season; 24-21 fourth season at Ole Miss.
Statistical Leaders: Auburn – RB Michael Dyer 159-812 8 TDs; QB Clint Moseley* 18-for-29 passing 265 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; WR Onterio McCalebb 22 catches, 239 yards, 1 TD; DB Neiko Thorpe 64 tackles, 2 INT. * - Moseley is expected to make his second start. Ole Miss – RB Jeff Scott 88-394, 6 TD; QB Randall Mackey, 42-for-81 passing, 652 yards, 3 INT, 4 TD; WR Ja-Mes Logan 17 catches, 245 yards, 0 TD; LB Mike Marry 60 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks.
Trends: Auburn has won six of the last seven in the series, the Ole Miss win coming in 2008, Nutt's first season with the Rebels. … Ole Miss has not win at Auburn since 2003, Eli Manning's senior season. … Ole Miss is 2-12 all-time at Auburn.
Notes: Five true freshmen and three redshirt freshmen have made starts for Ole Miss this season. … True freshmen have a combined 14 starts, while redshirt freshmen have made nine starts. … Brandon Bolden needs 17 yards to pass Dou Innocent for on the Ole Miss career rushing list. … WR Donte Moncrief has four touchdown receptions this season, tying him for third among freshmen nationally. … Auburn has won 20 of its last 23 games dating back to the 2010 Outback Bowl. … Under Gene Chizik, Auburn is 9-0 in games decided by four points or less, five of those within the SEC.
Prediction: Auburn 27, Ole Miss 20
**
Will the best 2-5 team in the country be good enough to beat the second-best team in Alabama? We'll see in a few hours.
I've been walking around the Auburn campus this morning. I toured the basketball arena for the first time and am filing at the moment from a state-of-the-art dining hall next to the arena and a grouping of really nice residence halls.
All this construction, I guess, is why media parking is so far from Jordan-Hare Stadium.
I found it interesting, smart, that the arena is open on game day. The main concession area is open. Mounted TVs are showing various games, the team shop is open, and people are drifting in and out.
It's across the street from the football stadium ... as will be the new Ole Miss arena.
I'll head up to the press box in a little while. I'll have updates on Twitter and back here at halftime and postgame.
Right now, on the seven TVs in front of me, Vanderbilt is in control against Arkansas, and in another SEC game, Texas A&M is leading Missouri.
Remember...offense puts butts in the seats...but defense wins championships. If you gave Coach Vaught and his coaches 23 points...more than likely the Rebels won....they didn't get beat by 18 points. The same was true for Carl Torbush.
Just compare South Carolina's defense when Nix was there...with their defense since he left. Then compare our defense since Nix has been at Ole Miss...you will see a steady decline. Therein lies the reason for most of our problems the last few years. Nix is the problem.
Randall Mackey is much more involved in the run game, and the results have been good. He had runs of 11 and 10 yards to get the Rebels to 1 where Brandon Bolden scored to tie the game just minutes ago.
Bolden has had a big first half for the second straight week, running for 69 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.
Kentrell Lockett has had his best game of the year. He's around the ball and has already recovered two fumbles.
The Rebels have also turned it over twice, leading to 10 Auburn points. Mackey had an interception on a pass that was badly under thrown.
Considering the turnovers and the early deficit, 17-all isn't a bad place to be.
But Auburn gets the ball to start the third, and the Rebels haven't consistently stopped the Tigers, though they had better series later in the second.
JB, the weather is cool, but it's good football weather, and I came prepared. The wind was really whipping around before the game, but it's died down a good bit.
GO REBEL!!!!!
JB