Ole Miss Rebels Week 8 Notebook: Observations From Road Battle vs. Auburn Tigers

The No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels took down the Auburn Tigers Saturday night in an SEC West slugfest.

After a sluggish first half, the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels rallied to beat the Auburn Tigers 28-21 Saturday night in their first victory in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2015. The Rebels improved to 6-1 (3-1 in SEC) with the victory over Auburn and got a rather large monkey off their backs in the process. 

Before Saturday, Ole Miss had not beaten the Tigers in consecutive years since 1951-52 and lost the last eight of nine games to Auburn. But the Rebels found a way to survive the trap game.

Ole Miss was favored entering the matchup, but the game was not one-sided by any means. The game was tied 14 a piece entering halftime thanks to some bumbles on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, the Ole Miss defense had a strong showing, and the rushing attack came alive in the second half.

Below are my notes and observations from Ole Miss' Week 8 victory over Auburn on The Plains.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin celebrates a pass interference call as Auburn Tigers take on Mississippi Rebels at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. Mississippi Rebels defeated Auburn Tigers 28-21 :: © Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ole Miss Defense Allows Just 275 Yards of Auburn Offense

Auburn's two-quarterback system did not stack up to Ole Miss' defense on Saturday, as the unit allowed just 122 passing yards between Robby Ashford and Payton Thorne. Both signal-callers threw an interception and struggled to find open receivers all game. The Tigers were only able to move the ball on the ground, recording 153 rushing yards and two scores behind running back Jaquez Hunter. Hunter led Auburn in rushing with 91 yards on 15 attempts and the two aforementioned touchdowns. 

Former transfer linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste lit up the stat sheet for the Rebels on defense, recording seven total tackles and two TFLs. Senior defensive lineman Cedric Johnson also had a busy night, racking up five total tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks. 

Ole Miss' defense showed up and has become a unit Lane Kiffin can truly rely upon. Sure, he opted to go for it four times versus Auburn, but I think that shows he had faith in his defense to get the job done if things went south. 

Zakahri Franklin Hauls in First Touchdown as a Rebel

Zakhari Franklin finally got his "welcome to the SEC" moment versus Auburn. Due to injury, Franklin has only appeared in three games since arriving as a transfer in June, but he got his moment on Saturday when he scored the first touchdown of the day for Ole Miss. Franklin hit paydirt on an 11-yard touchdown pass after running a beautiful hesitation route which made him an easy target for Jaxson Dart.

The former UTSA Roadrunner has registered four receptions, 38 yards, and one touchdown in three games with Ole Miss.

No. 38 for his career, No. 1 as a Reb ✅@JaxsonDart ➡️ @ZakhariFranklin pic.twitter.com/kivcY5kVie

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 21, 2023

Quinshon Rumbles For 100+ Rushing Yards 

Pike Road, Ala., native Quinshon Judkins came ready to play on Saturday. Judkins led the Rebels on the ground versus the Tigers, recording 21 carries for 124 yards and one touchdown. He put the game out of reach for Auburn in the fourth quarter, carrying multiple Tigers into the endzone in the process. After a slow start to the 2023 season, Judkins and the Ole Miss rushing attack are starting to pick up steam again.

Jaxson Dart Has Another Great Game Despite Blemishes

The Ole Miss signal-caller did not post crazy yardage totals versus Auburn, but he was clutch when he needed to be and got the job done. Dart threw for 202 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 44 yards and two scores on 14 carries. He threw an interception but overall played stout against an Auburn defense that was doing anything to throw him off balance.