Nick Marshall led the Tigers to another hard-fought road win. (Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)
OXFORD, Miss. — An off night for the nation’s top scoring defense is not what the Ole Miss Rebels needed, not with Saturday’s tilt with Auburn being a must win. Ole Miss was dealt a second straight disappointing loss, this time at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Auburn, ranked No. 3 in the inaugural College Football Playoff Top 25 poll, rallied, and then held off the No. 4 Rebels, 35-31, to stay in the hunt to win a national title.
The loss was the second in as many weeks for the Rebels, who dropped to 7-2 overall. Saturday’s setback in front of the third-largest crowd in stadium history was especially costly as wide receiver Laquon Treadwell went down late in the fourth quarter with a severe leg injury. Treadwell was on the verge of putting the Rebels ahead but was pulled down just short of the goal line by an Auburn defender, fumbling the ball away. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze felt like Treadwell suffered a fracture. He also felt like the Tigers should have been penalized on the play as Treadwell was pulled down from behind, fumbling the ball away.
Freeze felt like the two turnovers his team had in the final five minutes of play, both inside the Tigers’ 5-yard line, were the difference in the game.
Auburn, which lost to No. 1 Mississippi State in Starkville on Oct. 11, remains alive in the race to become one of four teams to play in the first playoff series. Saturday’s game was billed as the first elimination game of the new format, with the loser essentially out of the race to win a national title.
It was an offensive slugfest for the majority of the contest. Auburn (7-1 overall, 4-1 in the SEC) scored first in the contest and continued to score throughout against the Rebels, who had the nation’s top ranked scoring defense coming.
Ole Miss’ 35 points allowed were a season high, while it was the second-highest point total for the Tigers in SEC play. The Tigers’ previous high was 42 points scored against Arkansas in the opener for both teams.
Auburn scored first, driving almost the length of the field on a mixture of runs and throws from quarterback Nick Marshall, who capped the 73-yard drive with a 2-yard run.
The Rebels tied the game late in the first quarter on a 4-yard run by running back I’Tavius Mathers. It capped an 11-play, 92-yard drive.
Wallace’s 59-yard run with just over six minutes left in second quarter set up his 10-yard toss to Laquon Treadwell, putting the Rebels ahead 14-7.
The Tigers tied the game on a 57-yard pass from Marshall to wide receiver Sammie Coates with 1:24 left in the half, and Gary Wunderlich’s 47-yard field goal gave the Rebels a 17-14 lead as time expired.
NOTES: Auburn had a season-high 10 penalties for 105 yards in the first half. … Wallace was sacked three times in the first half with a shuffled offensive line that had LT Laremy Tunsil on the sideline. … Ole Miss CB Senquez Golson recorded his ninth interception of the season.
