Ole Miss Offense Struggles to Find Rhythm vs. Auburn in 31-20 Loss
No. 10 Ole Miss was knocked off by No. 18 Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday as the Rebels took their second loss of the season, and the Rebel offense struggled to put points on the board throughout the evening.
The Rebels trailed the entire game and lost by two scores to a rival who has not lost to Ole Miss since 2015. The offense never had a chance to get going thanks to an injury scare early in the game to Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and a lackluster performance in the red zone.
After the Rebel offense managed a field goal on their first drive, Corral was forced to leave the game after injuring his left ankle. Backup Luke Altmyer came in and was tasked with keeping a shell-shocked offense afloat early in the game. Altmyer threw for 18 yards and completed all five of his pass attempts in his first game against Auburn.
Corral went to the locker room to get an x-ray, and to the relief of Ole Miss fans everywhere, soon came marching out of the tunnel with a purpose and was put back into the game. Corral led the offense down the field, and running back Snoop Conner found the end zone, scoring the first Ole Miss touchdown of the day.
While Corral's heroic effort kept Ole Miss alive for the rest of the game, the Auburn defense made just enough stops, and the Ole Miss defense did not make enough stops. Injuries also hurt the Rebels today with Corral not looking 100 percent and the offense not having any of its top three wideouts at one point.
Head coach Lane Kiffin gave praise to the guys who stepped up on offense and were tested in a hostile environment.
"Credit to Jahcour Pearson and Casey Kelly," Kiffin said. "These are two walk-on kids who are doing a really great job out there. Both of them had seven catches and 200 yards between the two of them."
Pearson's 135 yards and 81 yards from Kelly helped to keep the game close and emphasizes the "next man up" mentality this team has.
While the Rebels fought all game, a courageous effort from Corral with 289 yards through the air and one touchdown on the ground was not enough to get it done versus a hungry Auburn team.
The Ole Miss offense will look to put this game in their rearview as they prepare to take on Liberty and former head coach Hugh Freeze. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT next Saturday in Oxford.
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