Gamer: Ole Miss shows toughness in 28-21 win over Auburn in raucous Jordan-Hare
OXFORD, Miss. – In a fierce SEC West battle in Jordan-Hare Saturday, Ole Miss surged in the second half yet again for a 28-21 victory over the Auburn Tigers, the Rebels’ first win on the Plains since 2015.
Offense
The Rebel offense was set up nicely at midfield for their first drive thanks to a defensive stand. After penalties on both teams and some huge runs from Quinshon Judkins to keep the drive alive, Jaxson Dart found Zakhari Franklin for the receiver’s first touchdown as a Rebel.
Third and 22? @qaj4_‘s got this.
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Pg4Q7nwAGd
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 21, 2023
No. 38 for his career, No. 1 as a Reb ✅@JaxsonDart ➡️ @ZakhariFranklin pic.twitter.com/kivcY5kVie
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 21, 2023
Following the Auburn touchdown, Dart went right back to work. The Rebel QB dumped in a beautiful pass down the sideline to Caden Prieskorn, then capped off the drive with his legs, rushing for a 29-yard score as the first quarter came to a close.
Dual-Threat Dart
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/weAJIVQ1pN
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 21, 2023
The Rebel defense stood tall, giving the ball back to Dart and the offense once again. Just when the Ole Miss offense looked to gain some momentum, a high throw from Dart was tipped in the air and picked off by Auburn.
Ulysses Bentley IV continued to shine in his role alongside Judkins, helping the Rebels drive into Auburn territory once again. The Rebels were eventually held to a field goal attempt, however, the snap was mishandled, resulting in another turnover for Ole Miss.
Coming out of halftime, the Rebel offense continued to struggle. Ole miss was 1 for 7 on third downs at this point in the contest, once again going for it on fourth down but this time failing to convert. Head Coach Lane Kiffin commented post game on what he told his team and on his team flipping a switch.
“Just to stay the course and things will pop. We were being a little conservative just by the way that our defense was playing. That is going to put you in some third downs, and we did not convert on third downs. We were really poor on third down today. If you’re taking three or four yards, you have to make the third downs. Those guys did a great job on third down. They played a lot of man, brought a lot of pressure, and we didn’t make them pay for it. Credit to those guys too. I said all week they have really good defensive players and especially have really good defensive backs.”
Lane Kiffin
Scoreless since their second drive, the Ole Miss offense found rhythm behind the Dart-to-Tre Harris connection. Judkins added a couple of strong runs to set up a one yard rushing touchdown for Jaxson Dart to give the Rebels a 21-14 lead.
The Dart Dive ➡️@JaxsonDart | ESPN pic.twitter.com/2QeWndUcDB
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2023
Dart commented post game on winning in the tough environment that is Jordan-Hare.
“I mean obviously we like to make it interesting, so that gets kind of annoying sometimes. I thought we moved the ball around really well. We got a little stuck in the second and third quarters. We just knew that once we got a little momentum spark that things were going to start clicking. Once we had that big connection to Tre (Harris), everything was great from then on. We had a lot of confidence in ourselves going into the fourth quarter. We have done it all year. I just feel like this year we feel really comfortable in that kind of situation. There is not a lot of stress. There are not a lot of guys that have emotional swings, but I am just really proud of this group and the confidence we have to be able to finish up games like that.”
Dart on winning in a tough environment
With leading receiver Jordan Watkins limited due to surgery on his right hand, “Big-Play” Tre Harris stepped to the plate once again for Ole Miss. The Rebel wideout recorded 4 catches for 104 yards, making his presence felt late in this one.
Again after a Rebel defensive stand, the Ole Miss offense kept their momentum. Dart seemed to heat up going into the fourth quarter, using his legs and arm to get the Rebels into the red zone.
Judkins did the rest, adding to his 100-yard day with a touchdown run of his own to extend the Rebel lead to 28-14 midway through the fourth.
Q Dragging D-Linemen 😳@qaj4_ | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/cYeYFx7zxV
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2023
“It speaks volume honestly. It speaks that we have discipline to play throughout all four quarters. It speaks of what type of team we are compared to the other Ole Miss teams in the past that have been there. It is special for sure,” Judkins said of the Rebels’ late push for a win.
The Rebel offense was on the ‘struggle bus’ for a majority of this game following their two quick scoring drives in the first quarter. It was the Ole Miss rushing attack that controlled the game and ultimately put it away for the Rebels. Ole Miss rushed for 223 yards as a team with 3 touchdowns, and Judkins led the way with 21 carries for 124 yards and score.
Defense
After serving as the back up to Payton Thorne most of the season, Auburn’s other quarterback, Robby Ashford, trotted out for the opening drive against the Rebels. However, the Ole Miss defense looked prepared right out of the gates, stuffing Ashford on 4th down at midfield to give the back to the offense.
Nope! 🛑
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/YwOYjs9G9u
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 21, 2023
For Auburn’s second drive, it was usual starter Payton Thorne who came back out to replace Ashford. The Tigers again marched to midfield, immediately answering the Ole Miss score with a 53-yard run to tie it at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
Despite three straight SEC losses coming into this one, the Tigers showed resilience in the first half. Following the interception of the Rebels, Auburn used both QBs this time to punch it in for another score, tying the game at 14.
With the Rebel offense struggling after the first two drives, the Ole Miss defense continued to make stands in the second quarter. Ashford took the field again with a minute to go in the half, but the Rebel defense came up with an interception of their own as John Saunders Jr. sent it to half time tied at 14-14.
Can of corn! @john5aunders | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/BfWMlHCGZG
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2023
“As we say, we are the best fourth-quarter defense in the nation. Defensively, I told the guys not to panic, and we were not really panicking at all to be honest.”
Jean-Baptiste on the Rebel defense
Jean-Baptiste was the Rebels’ leading tackler in the contest, recording 7 tackles along with a pair of tackles for loss. The UCF transfer was all over the field, finding himself in the Auburn backfield frequently.
Pete Golding’s defense continued to play lights out, not letting Auburn get anything going on offense throughout the third quarter.
Getting after ’em 🦈@suntarine x @jared_ivey1595 pic.twitter.com/1v1hBYCG9p
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2023
The Auburn offense found itself back on its heels, trailing 28-14 after the offensive outburst from the Rebels in the fourth quarter. With the clock against them, the Tiger offense slowly moved the ball on an Ole Miss defense that refused to give up much in the second half.
However, Rebel cornerback Zamari Walton wiped it all away with the second Ole Miss interception of the game which looked to be the dagger the Rebels were looking for.
End Zone Pick ‼️@ZWALT_21 pic.twitter.com/bOgAgSgGco
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 22, 2023
Up until late in the fourth quarter, the Ole Miss defense held Auburn well under 100 yards passing while not letting up much in the run game either. Jean-Baptise and Cedric Johnson led the pack, as the Rebel defense recorded 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a pair of interceptions as well.
Coach Kiffin took the time post game to praise his players and defensive coordinator on their performance.
“First of all, credit to our players. DBs made big plays today, and got some turnovers. You gotta give Pete Golding credit, he took a lot of heat after that LSU game and really has come back and played some of our best defensive games since we’ve been here or in a long time, really.”
Kiffin on the defensive performance
Once again, Golding’s defense showed its toughness, shutting down a struggling Auburn offense for a majority of the second half to secure the victory.
Jean-Baptiste commented on what it was like in the locker room following the victory.
“Week in and week out, us as a team, we are getting closer as brothers. We embrace each opportunity, and we don’t take it for granted. I would say as a team, we are united.”
Jean-Baptiste on the locker room vibe
Up Next
Ole Miss will be back in the Vaught next Saturday as the Vanderbilt Commodores travel to Oxford for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for October 28th at 6:30 pm CT on the SEC Network.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he’s from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn’t stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He’s a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
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