Halftime takeaways: Auburn tied with No. 13 Ole Miss

The Tigers are in a battle with the Rebels at halftime.

We are heading into halftime during this week 8 matchup against Ole Miss at Jordan-Hare. The Tigers are coming off a three-game losing streak and seriously needing a win as they roll into the latter half of the 2023 season.

The Tigers are a predominantly new team fielding multiple new additions on both sides of the ball. For some reason things have yet to truly click for the Tigers on offense as the defense has had to consistently keep games close.

Has Hugh Freeze and Co. made the necessary adjustments to field a winning team.

Here are some takeaways from the first half of play against the Ole Miss Rebels.

- Auburn began the opening drive with Robbie Ashford starting under center. This is likely due to the lackluster performances that we have seen from Payton Thorne the past 3 outings.

- The running game seems to be off to a bit of a slow start as the Ole Miss Rebels are pouring on the pressure.

- The Tigers were stopped on 4th and 1 with Ashford being tackled behind the line on an aggressive first drive.

- Ole Miss has been penalty ridden during their first drive, yet several explosive plays have placed them in field goal range.

- Ole Miss strikes first putting points on the board with a touchdown to cap off their first drive.

- Payton Thorne has come in under center for the second drive, with a quick handoff to Jarquez Hunter.

- There is still a lack of separation being won by our wide receiver room. This needs to be addressed heavily with recruiting during the off-season.

- Jarquez Hunter came out of the backfield like a lightning bolt, finally sparking the Auburn running game with a 53-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game.

- Ole Miss came back out swinging with a quick explosive play to their tight end. Then they finished the drive with a touchdown on a quarter back run with Jaxson Dart.

- Payton Thorne came out again for the third drive after a successful second drive.

- Auburn headed into the second quarter down by a touchdown.

- Auburn forced to a 3 and out on their third drive punting away for a fair catch.

- Donovan Kaufman came away with a huge pick off a tipped pass thrown by Jaxson Dart.

- Robbie Ashford came out to lead the fourth drive after the interception.

- With a wildcat formation Hunter takes a direct snap to score a rushing touchdown to help Auburn tie the ball game up.

- The defense has come to play seriously helping the Tigers stay in this matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels.

- The defense held the Rebels to their first 3 and out forcing them to punt away.

- The defense has struggled so far against the running game so far, struggling to key on Ole Miss’s running backs.

- Ole Miss bobbled the snap on the field goal attempt and the subsequent thrown ball was picked by Zion Puckett.

Auburn has kept the game competitive by the half, there are still some glaring issues with the offensive play primarily with the wide receiver room and with the defense in stopping the run. 

Perhaps some halftime adjustments will assist in getting the receivers more engaged in the game and the defense more aware of the run.

Auburn heads into halftime tied 14-14 with the Ole Miss Rebels. 

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