The Good, Bad and Ugly of Ole Miss' Win Against Auburn

The No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Auburn Tigers 45-15 today.

The win today was the first step in the Rebels' attempt at a win streak to reach the College Football Playoff. They still need to defeat No. 3 Georgia, Oklahoma, Wofford and Mississippi State in the last four games of the season to reach 10-2.

Despite the large margin of victory, the game didn't go perfectly for Ole Miss. Here's the good, bad and ugly of the Rebels' victory.

Good: Defense

Mississippi Rebels linebacker Suntarine Perkins reacts after a tackle during the fourth quarter against the Auburn Tigers. — Mississippi Rebels linebacker Suntarine Perkins reacts after a tackle during the fourth quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After the game against Texas, Ole Miss' defense needed a strong performance to regain the momentum they had gained against Vanderbilt and Missouri. Today, they got it.

Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown threw the ball 38 times for less than 200 total yards and one touchdown. He also scored a rushing touchdown, but had just five yards on 13 carries.

The Tigers had just 63 rushing yards total for 2.3 yards per carry. Brown's two touchdowns were the only touchdowns in the game.

Bad: First Half Offense

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss hands the ball off to running back Makhi Frazier during warm ups vs. Auburn — Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss hands the ball off to running back Makhi Frazier during warm ups prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first half of the game, Ole Miss only outscored Auburn 14-9 before pulling away in the second half to secure the 30-point victory.

Ole Miss' passing game in particular had a slow start, with both of the first-half touchdowns coming on the ground courtesy of Will Echoles and Shekai Mills-Knight.

While the Rebels still had the lead at halftime, having such a close game against unranked Auburn isn't going to cut it next week against Georgia and potentially a team like Oklahoma. Luckily for Ole Miss, they were able to turn it around in the second half.

Ugly: Deuce Alexander's Game

Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Deuce Alexander runs after a catch as Auburn Tigers edge Da'Shawn Womack makes the tackle. — Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Deuce Alexander runs after a catch as Auburn Tigers edge Da'Shawn Womack makes the tackle during the first quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss wide receiver Deuce Alexander's five catches for 59 receiving yards and one carry for six rushing yards don't stand out on the stat sheet as an "ugly" performance. However, he was arguably the Rebels' most frustrating player today.

Alexander had multiple dropped passes, including a wide-open touchdown early in the game on a double pass. He also muffed a punt that nearly gave the ball back to the Tigers, and he had an uncharacteristic false start penalty later in the game.

Alexander's struggles led to more opportunities for backups in Ole Miss' wide receiver room. Whatever is going wrong with Alexander has become obvious over the last few weeks. With next week being a major ranked matchup against No. 3 Georgia, it's time for Alexander to get past the struggles.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google