Ole Miss Rebels Week 8 Opponent Preview: Keys to the Game vs. Auburn Tigers

What do the Ole Miss Rebels need to do to win on Saturday night? Can the Auburn Tigers pull off the upset?

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. What are the keys to the game for both teams to have a shot to win?

Let's dive in.

Oct 30, 2021; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Jahcour Pearson (0) is tackled by Auburn Tigers cornerback Jaylin Simpson (36) during the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports / © John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

OLE MISS WINS IF...

...it doesn't let the ghosts of Jordan-Hare cause a ruckus.

As mentioned above, the Rebels typically struggle on the road against Auburn, including dropping a night game there in 2021, a season that saw Ole Miss win 10 games. Make no mistake: Ole Miss is the better team in this matchup, but it can't get spooked and let the crowd and environment derail that fact. If Ole Miss takes care of business and plays to its capabilities, it wins on Saturday.

AUBURN WINS IF...

...it improves vastly on offense, and its defense can stop Jaxson Dart.

That's really two keys, but they're both true. Auburn's offense has been bad to this point, and Ole Miss' (for the most part) has not been. The Rebels have struggled at times on that side of the ball, but even then, they've been better than what Auburn has looked like so far in 2023. Home field advantage, offensive improvement and defensive success are all three things that have to hit if Auburn wants to win this one on Saturday night.