The Auburn Tigers (5-3, 3-2) are back at Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on SEC foe Ole Miss (2-5, 0-4) on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m.

Head coach Gene Chizik and the Tigers aim to improve from last week’s performance after getting blown out by No. 1 LSU 45-10.

“The reality of it is we got beat in just about every phase of the game,” Chizik said. “We made all the classic mistakes that prevent you from winning a game on the road.”
Timely penalties allowed LSU to go ahead early and forced Auburn out of its element offensively.

Leading rusher Michael Dyer carried the ball 12 times for 60 yards. He carried the ball only five times in the second half, one of which was a 29 yard run.

Sophomore quarterback Clint Moseley showed signs of life in his first start, going 12 for 20, passing for 145 yards, but pressure in the pocket caused him to struggle as he was sacked six times for a loss of 56 yards.

Auburn’s only touchdown came late in the fourth quarter against LSU’s second team defense. Running back Onterrio McCalebb ran right side from the two yard line for the score, capping off a 10 play, 86 yard drive.

Ole Miss is coming off of a disappointing loss as well, falling to No. 9 Arkansas 29-24. The Rebels led the Razorbacks 17-0 before allowing 29 unanswered points.

Ole Miss quarterback Randall Mackey went 18 for 30, passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Mackey threw one interception with 51 seconds left in the game after the Rebels recovered an onside kick.

Both teams are hungry for a win after letting their respective games get away from them.

Auburn will look to capitalize on an Ole Miss defense, allowing more than 225 yards per game on the ground. To do this, look for Dyer to get more than 12 carries, and for McCalebb to see some more touches as well.

Freshman quarterback Kiehl Frazier has had some success out of the wildcat formation, but defenses have keyed into this in the past few games. Expect Frazier to get around 10 carries, but to also be used as a decoy and hand the ball off often out of the wildcat.

Wide receiver Emory Blake was a game time decision against LSU, but decided not to play after warming up. Look for Blake to return against the Rebels and give Moseley a reliable deep-threat target in the passing game.

The biggest factor for success for the Tigers is penalties. In the last three games, Auburn is averaging more than eight penalties a game. The Tigers rank No. 100 in the nation for penalty yardage, averaging 64.1 yards per game.

If the Tigers can keep the yellow flags in the referee’s pockets, it should help the offense find a rhythm and help the defense get off of the field.