Cameron Larkin
Ole Miss and Auburn have a history of bitterness, disdain and downright hatred toward one another. Before last year, Auburn had won the previous six matchups. This year, odds-makers think we could see a repeat of last year’s Ole Miss victory, but what might student journalists think?
The Hugh Freeze era at Auburn has not started on the hottest of streaks, as the team sits at 3-3 overall and 0-3 in the SEC — not to mention a three-game losing streak heading into this weekend.
Jacob Waters, sports editor for The Auburn Plainsman said, “I don’t think this game will be a personal game for Hugh Freeze even though it’s against his old team, but I do think the players and the fans will be amped up and want to get a win for him.”
Though they may be struggling, Auburn can take solace in the fact that they may have a slight edge over Ole Miss on defense.
“Auburn’s 49th in the country in pass defense while Ole Miss is 108th,” Waters said.
Statistically, the Tigers boast the better defense, but it does not take a college football genius to say that Ole Miss blows Auburn out of the water when it comes to offensive production.
Ole Miss averages 41.7 points per game, 306 passing yards per game and 9.8 yards per pass attempt per game. Conversely, Auburn averages 27.7 points per game, 155.8 passing yards per game and only 6.3 yards per pass attempt.
“(Quarterback) Payton Thorne has proven he just can’t run the offense well right now, but I’m still not a believer in (backup) Robby Ashford’s arm,” Waters said. “I do think that Auburn needs to switch to Ashford and basically just run the ball the majority of the game.”
A lot of the conversations surrounding this game circle back to how Ole Miss will handle the environment of Jordan-Hare Stadium. It is a night game, it is a stripe-out game for Auburn and the Tigers and the Tiger faithful would love nothing more than to end Ole Miss’ already slim hopes of representing the SEC West.
“They play much better at home it seems, so I think that’s where Auburn’s hope of pulling off an upset would be,” Waters said. “I feel like Auburn’s had this game circled on the schedule since the summer, and now that this game is at night, Auburn will be even more motivated.”
Jacob Waters’ Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 31, Auburn 24
