Ole Miss Rebels Week 8 Opponent Preview: Auburn Tigers

The Ole Miss Rebels will travel to face the Auburn Tigers in Week 8 of the college football season. Can they take down former head coach Hugh Freeze?

On paper, No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels are the better team entering this weekend's matchup with the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. But games aren't played on paper.

Historically, Ole Miss has struggled when playing on The Plains, only winning in Auburn, Ala., three times in series history with the most recent coming in 2015. Granted, some of these games were played at neutral sites early in the history of this rivalry, but still--the Rebels typically struggle on the road against the Tigers.

Throw in the fact that former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze is now the Tigers' head coach, and you've got all the makings of an interesting showdown on Saturday night.

Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was made available to the media on Monday, and he recognizes that Auburn seems to be a different team at home in most years (although he's not sure why), so his team will have to bring its A-game to escape with a win this weekend.

"I don't know that answer," Kiffin said. "The analytics support it certainly. You can see our record there. We like breaking records. Someone said if we win this game it's the first back-to-back wins against Auburn in 71 years, so that's a pretty exciting thing to be able to do. 

"I just think that place, having played there here, having played there at Alabama, just sometimes has kind of some magical things happen at it. Games are always sold out, the fans seem to be into all the games from the beginning on, and they seem to play better there, especially at night if you look at the stats over the years."

Kiffin isn't placing an excessive amount of emphasis on this game because of the opposing head coach, however. Not publicly, at least.

"I haven't been around (Hugh Freeze) that much," Kiffin said. "A few times over the years. My brother, when he coached here. Really appreciate how he treated my brother. I've had nothing but good interactions the few times I've seen him. SEC Media Days, and then obviously against Liberty when they played here (in 2021), so that's about it."

The Tigers enter Saturday's matchup with a 3-3 overall record, and they have yet to notch a conference win. Ole Miss, fresh off a bye week, will be looking to land an early claim on bowl eligibility with a win on Saturday. The Rebels are currently 5-1 overall with a 2-1 record in SEC play.

Here are a few storylines to watch as Saturday approaches.

Oct 27, 2007; Auburn, AL, USA; Ole Miss Rebels Johnny Brown (20) chases down Auburn runningback Mario Fannin (27) during the first half at Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn. The Tigers beat the Rebels 17-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports / © John Reed-US Presswire

1. "If you have two quarterbacks..."

...you may have none. That's the case for the Auburn Tigers so far in 2023.

Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford have split snaps for the Tigers this season with each quarterback appearing in all six games. Ashford is slated as more of the "runner" of the two, but both can be called on to throw or pass. So, essentially, Ole Miss is preparing to face two signal callers this week.

2. Jordan Watkins' health

As reported by The Grove Report last week, Ole Miss wide receiver Jordan Watkins suffered an injury at practice over the bye week, but Lane Kiffin provided a positive update on his health on Monday. Will he take the field against Auburn? That's a big blow for the Rebels offense, if not.

3. Hugh Freeze

This one goes without saying, but Freeze and Ole Miss fans have both likely had this game circled since he was hired at Auburn. Following Freeze's unceremonious exit from Oxford in 2017, this is a big game for emotions on both sides.

Follow along with The Grove Report this week as we dive into a preview of the Tigers on both sides of the football, complete with keys to the game and game predictions.