Gamer: Ole Miss fights through injuries but comes up short at Auburn, 20-31
AUBURN, Ala. – As the old saying goes, “Don’t take a knife to a gunfight.” Ole Miss took its gunslinger to Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday, but ultimately was just without too many bullets to finish off the Tigers who got away with a 31-20 win over the Rebels.
At one point, Ole Miss was without its major weapons — Jonathan Mingo, Braylon Sanders and even Dontario Drummond who had been the only remaining starting wide receiver not already out due to injury. Starting tight end Chase Rogers is also out. The offensive line was depleted and missing right guard Ben Brown who is out for the season, and others were playing in different spots.
However, quarterback Matt Corral would not accept any of the key absences as an excuse.
“That’s not an excuse. Next man up mentality. I had Dannis (Jackson) on a shake route…I just overthrew him..Plays I usually make, I missed. This loss is on me.”
Ole Miss QB Matt Corral
Jahcour Pearson finished the game with 7 receptions for 135 yards. Casey Kelly finished with 7 for 81 yards. Coach Kiffin credited the two players who stepped up with that aforementioned next-man-up-mentality.
Jahcour Pearson with another huge play.
Currently has six catches for 109 yards pic.twitter.com/8MojQDVtiL
— TeeJay (@TJOxley1) October 31, 2021
“Credit to (wide receiver) Jahcour Pearson and (tight end) Casey Kelly. He (Matt) was throwing to two walk-on kids who are doing a great job out there. Very courageous by Matt to come back out there…”
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
The Ole Miss defense gave up 28 first-half points, but rallied to hold Auburn to just three in the second half.
Linebacker Chance Campbell, who finished with 8 tackles, four of which were solo, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery, talked about the difference in the defense from the first half to the second.
“We just did what we were supposed to do. We didn’t have any new calls, new schemes. Shame we didn’t do that the first half.”
Chance Campbell
The problem? The Rebels were also held to three points after intermission.
The Tigers ran for 207 yards and threw for another 276 and will look for an Iron Bowl game against Alabama to possibly send Auburn to the SEC title game.
Auburn took the initial possession and easily drove to midfield. Nix shook off a potential sack by Sam Williams to set up a fourth down. The Tigers converted and then turned that into a touchdown when Nix ran in from 11 yards.
Fewer than five minutes into the game Auburn had a 7-0 lead after Anders Carlson’s kick.
Ole Miss rebounded with a fast-paced drive, but it stalled in the Tigers’ red zone. Caden Costa nailed a 29-yard field goal to cap the 12-play, 61-yard drive to cut the Auburn lead to 7-3.
The Tigers did not let up on the offensive accelerator on the ensuing drive. Auburn drove 72 yards for a 1-yard Tank Bigsby blast up the gut and after Carlson’s kick, Auburn led 14-3.
Corral went out on the next drive with an injury, and that doomed the Rebels’ hopes. Or so it seemed.
True freshman quarterback Luke Altmeyer came on in relief and started an Ole Miss drive impressively. Corral was able to come out of the training room and continue the drive. Soon after, Snoop Conner ran in from the 13. After Costa’s kick, Ole Miss trailed 14-10 and put the game in the fins of the Landshark defense.
Snoop Conner for the 13 yard TD.
His 10th rushing TD on the season pic.twitter.com/9GxVKNIXMj
— TeeJay (@TJOxley1) October 31, 2021
Auburn, however, found a way through the feeding frenzy.
Nix ran in for another touchdown, this one from the 7 after driving 77 yards in only five plays to increase the Auburn lead to 21-10.
Corral capped off the next Ole Miss drive by running 11-yards for a touchdown – on a bad ankle – to close the Rebels to within four, 21-17.
Auburn finished the half strong as Nix drove the Tigers 69 yards in just over two minutes and he hit Jarquez Hunter with a 9-yard scoring pass to give Auburn a 28-17 halftime lead.
In the third, Ole Miss closed the lead to a one-score game when Costa nailed a 49-yarder to make the score 28-20.
The Rebels had a shot to tie the game at the end of the third quarter, but a fourth-down attempt deep in in Auburn territory missed the target and it was still an 8-point deficit.
Corral, ever the leader, took the loss on his own shoulders — further endearing him in the hearts of Rebels everywhere.
“Same thing (same injury as at Tennessee)…couldn’t feel it in my ankle. Heard it pop. Got an x-ray. Told them if nothing was broken, I was going back in. No excuses for not executing…The ones I normally make, I didn’t. It’s on me.“
Matt Corral
Ole Miss would never get closer as Auburn added a field goal to provide the final margin.
Next Up:
Ole Miss returns home to face Liberty on November 6 at 11:00 a.m. at Vaught-Hemingway.
(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Football)
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
