College Sports

No. 11 Auburn aims to rebound against Ole Miss

Posted October 31, 2019 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

Mississippi (3-5, 2-3 SEC) at No. 11 Auburn (6-2, 3-2), Saturday at 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Line: Auburn by 19 1/2.

Series record: Auburn leads 32-11.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Auburn hopes to rebound strongly from a 23-20 loss to No. 1 LSU that all but took Gus Malzahn's team out of SEC and playoff contention. An upset would push Ole Miss closer to bowl eligibility.

KEY MATCHUP

Auburn's defensive front against the Ole Miss rushing offense. The Rebels lead the SEC in rushing at 276.6 yards per game but face a sturdy defense led by linemen Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson. Ole Miss QB John Rhys Plumlee has already run for 508 yards.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Ole Miss: RBs Jerrion Ealy and Scottie Phillips have combined for 922 rushing yards and Plumlee has emerged as a big weapon on the ground. The trio have combined for 13 rushing touchdowns.

Auburn: QB Bo Nix has been up and down, but has been strongest at home. With backup Joey Gatewood leaving the team and planning to transfer, there is no real Plan B for the offense.

FACTS & FIGURES

Both teams start freshman quarterbacks. ... Plumlee needs just 36 yards to break the school's single-season rushing record for a quarterback. ... Auburn and Texas are the only teams to have already faced three bowl-eligible teams. The Tigers are the only team in this week's Top 25 to have faced three opponents that are also currently ranked. ... The Ole Miss offense has gotten 84.5 percent of its yards from freshmen, most of any team nationally. Six freshmen have started games. ... Auburn's Davidson is second in the SEC with 5.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss. Rebels nose tackle Benito Jones is tied for fourth with 8.0 TFLs.

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More AP college football: http://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

Auburn receiver Jay Jay Wilson (42) and Sam Sherrod (32) celebrate after a touchdown against Arkansas during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods) The Associated Press

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