Saturday will be just another day in the SEC for the Auburn Tigers as they will face another top-25 team.
Auburn will face its fourth straight ranked opponent on Saturday when it battles No. 12 Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. Saturday's game is the last in a brutal October stretch for Auburn that featured No. 17 Tennessee, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 13 LSU, and Auburn is 1-2 in those games.
Auburn will need to have a strong showing on Saturday as bowl eligibility looms. But playing a ranked SEC opponent on the road will be a challenge. Here are five things Auburn must avoid at Ole Miss on Saturday to pull off another road upset.
If Ole Miss is adequately prepared for the QB run game
Byrum Brown may not be a Heisman Trophy contender this season, but Ole Miss head coach Pete
Golding respects Brown enough to scheme around him.
“Dual-threat guy, leads the SEC in quarterback run game, so you got to be able to account for him on base downs," Golding said of Brown this week (via Auburn Undercover). "Obviously there’s quarterback designed runs, and then the ability to extend the play. Really strong arm. I mean there’s one of those throws about 75, 80 yards in the air, hits the guy in stride.”
If Brown is not a dual threat on Saturday, it could affect Auburn's success.
If Ole Miss' run game does not miss a beat
The big injury news this week from Oxford is that premier back Kewan Lacy will be out for the Auburn game after injuring his shoulder in the Rebels' loss to Texas last Saturday. Missing the premier back usually affects a team in an important conference game, but Ole Miss has three options who could replicate Lacy's production: Makhi Frazier, JT Lindsey, and Shekai Mills-Knight.
Ole Miss' run game could be a factor if it does not have an "off game" without Lacy.
If Trinidad Chambliss has a normal game
Opposing quarterbacks passed for over 200 yards in four of Auburn's seven games this season, including LSU's Sam Leavitt, who torched Auburn through the air last week with 387 yards. This stat does not bode well for Auburn as they prepare to face Trinidad Chambliss. Chambliss averages 275.1 yards per game through the air, and his lowest passing output was 213 yards in Ole Miss' win over Vanderbilt earlier this month. He has also been sacked only six times in seven games.
It could be another long day for the Tigers' defense if Chambliss is on his game.
If Auburn does not control the clock
Neither Auburn nor Ole Miss hog the clock. Ole Miss ranks dead last among SEC teams in average time of possession, averaging 26:41 per game. Auburn holds the football just nine seconds longer and ranks one spot higher than the Rebels. Ole Miss plays fast, so Auburn will need to hold the ball to prevent Ole Miss from scoring quickly.
Winning time of possession on Saturday will be critical for the Auburn Tigers.
If Auburn does not have its coffee
Most people can not function in the morning without a cup, or pot, of delicious java. That was the case last week as Auburn lost to LSU by 21 points in its first morning kickoff of the season. Auburn gets another crack at it this week as its Week 9 battle at Ole Miss begins at 11:45 a.m. CT.
Will the morning kickoff be too much for Auburn to handle again?
Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky. FollowAuburn Wire on X andFacebook.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Five reasons why Auburn could struggle at Ole Miss on Saturday
