No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 18 Auburn square off Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium (6, ESPN) in a game with all sorts of conference and national implications.
The Rebels (6-1 overall, 3-1 in the SEC) have won three games in a row since losing at Alabama Oct. 2. Auburn (5-2, 2-1) enjoyed a bye week last weekend are last played in Fayetteville, Ark., where they defeated the Razorbacks, 38-23.
AuburnSports.com's Christian Clemente and RebelGrove.com's Neal McCready exchanged five questions and answers each earlier this week to serve as a primer of sorts for Saturday's showdown on the Plains.
Neal McCready: 1. Bo Nix got off to a rocky start and got benched versus Georgia State. Since then, he's been really good. What flipped?
Christian Clemente: The game has seemingly slowed down for Bo Nix recently. I think part of that needs to be credited to Mike Bobo and Bryan Harsin for drawing up easier plays for him to make one or two reads instead of four, but still, Nix deserves a lot of credit. It looked like his time as Auburn’s starting quarterback was over, then, backed into a corner, he responded with a wild performance against LSU, a solid performance against Georgia where his supporting cast damaged his final stat-line and then another great game against Arkansas. I think most people are still not 100% sure if Nix has turned a page or if it was just a stretch of good games, but the Ole Miss game should be telling on that.
Neal McCready: 2. For a while, it looked like Jarquez Hunter was going to take the RB1 job away from Tank Bigsby, but Bigsby seems to have re-emerged, if you will. Who gets the lion's share of carries against Ole Miss?
Christian Clemente: I still think Tank Bigsby gets the majority of the carries. Bigbsy was banged up a little earlier in the season and with Jarquez Hunter’s strong performances Auburn chose to ride the hot hand a little bit and feed him. But coming off a bye week and already getting healthier before the bye, Bigsby should be back to his No. 1 role in the backfield and performing up to his lofty expectations.
Neal McCready: 3. Auburn has looked solid on defense, but I've heard some question the secondary. How do you think Auburn chooses to attack Matt Corral and is there an area of concern for the Tigers going against a balanced offense?
Christian Clemente: The secondary, despite the praise it received during the offseason has been an issue so far. Mainly, blown coverages and missed assignments leading to receivers and tight ends being wide open. Like, no one within 10 yards of them wide open. It’s gotten better the past couple of weeks as the team adjusts to Derek Mason’s scheme, but it still remains a question mark. As for Matt Corral, I think Auburn will play relatively conservative. Rushing three or four, putting linebacker Owen Pappoe (who should return this week) or linebacker Zakoby McClain as a spy and then dropping seven or eight in coverage. Auburn’s been pretty good in stopping the run thus far, but Ole Miss’ backs will be an interesting challenge for this defensive front. All in all though, I expect them to fully key in on Corral.
Neal McCready: 4. I know there are rumors of suspensions and Harsin's vaccination status has been in the news. Is that a potential distraction for this team on Saturday?
Christian Clemente: It’s certainly a distraction and I think it’ll be interesting to see how Harsin, the new coaching staff and the players are able to put it aside this week while getting ready for Saturday. Harsin’s been mum about his vaccination status all along and with Auburn following the federal mandate that all employees have to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8th, it came up again this week. I think it’s a potential distraction, but not a major one. The big one is the suspensions. I’ve heard of three or four players on defense that are facing disciplinary issues and could miss Saturday’s game. We don’t have official names yet, but if one of them is suspended for Saturday, it could be a big loss for the defense. The others are mostly backups.
Neal McCready: 5. Ok, it's your turn on the prediction. Give me a winner, a score and why?
Christian Clemente: Man, I am so torn on this game. I think really highly of Ole Miss and the Lane Kiffin offense led by Matt Corral. They can put up 60 at any point and it’s up to the other team to try and keep up at that point. Simply because they’re coming off the bye week, I’m going with Auburn but the potential suspensions and coming out rusty concerns me. I do think this one will end up being a shootout but I think Bo Nix and Tank Bigbsy will be able to do enough to keep up and squeak out a 41-38 win.
Christian Clemente: 1. How have you seen Matt Corral progress from last year to this year?
Neal McCready: He’s matured as a decision-maker. A year ago, Corral was apt to take some chances downfield. He has a cannon for an arm and he can throw it through windows. Obviously, that's good, but it can also lead to mistakes. This season, he's just not forcing anything. He's taking what the defense is giving him and waiting for defensive coordinators to become impatient. He's also such a smart runner. He can beat you with his feet and he'll take the running lane when it opens. However, he's very competitive, which has led to him taking too many hits this year in the open field. He's got to clean that up.
Christian Clemente: 2. With the offense as a whole, how has Ole Miss improved and where have they struggled from last year to this year?
Neal McCready: Corral is better, so that's the big thing. The running back room is deep and versatile. Snoop Conner is a bruiser, a physical back who can get big chunks against a defense that makes mistakes. Jerrion Ealy relies on speed. When he attacks a hole and gets to the second level, he's dangerous. Henry Parrish Jr. is an excellent pass-protector who can catch the ball out of the backfield and has an impressive second cut that defenses have to respect. The wide receiver corps, when healthy, is dangerous, but right now, Jonathan Mingo is out and we believe Braylon Sanders is likely out as well. That's a problem. Ole Miss doesn't really have a deep-ball threat, meaning it has to scheme defenses to death. That's tough to do in the SEC. The offensive line is banged up as well, a problem against a good defensive front like Auburn's.
Christian Clemente: 3. Ole Miss is playing better on defense, what’s led to their improvement?
Neal McCready: It’s multi-fold, really. First, it's Year 2 in a system. That always helps. Continuity in a system is a good thing. Then, of course, it's personnel. Chance Campbell, a Maryland transfer, has solidified the linebacker corps. Jake Springer, a Navy transfer, has bolstered the secondary. Throw in the emergence of linebacker Mark Robinson, a full year with safety Otis Reese and much improved depth in the secondary, and you have a recipe for a much better defensive unit. They've looked much better the past two weeks, but Auburn represents a different test.
Christian Clemente: 4. Who are some X-Factors on offense and defense that can swing the game Ole Miss’ way?
Neal McCready: Defensively, Sam Williams and Cedric Johnson have begun getting to the quarterback more effectively, and junior college transfer defensive tackle Isaiah Iton may be seeing the light come on a bit. Ole Miss has begun to force some turnovers, and they'll need a couple of those to have a shot against Auburn. They've defended the run well, but running quarterbacks -- K.J. Jefferson and Hendon Hooker -- caused them some issues. Controlling Bo Nix's feet and making him beat them with his arm figures to be the Rebels' plan. Offensively, it's all about establishing the running game and finding receivers other than Dontario Drummond to step up and catch Auburn cheating a bit. Whether it's Dannis Jackson, Miles Battle, Jadon Jackson or John Rhys Plumlee, someone else has to emerge and catch a few passes if the Rebels are going to get out of Jordan-Hare a winner.
Christian Clemente: 5. Game prediction? Who wins and why?
Neal McCready: I had Ole Miss at 6-1 headed to Auburn in my preseason predictions. I predicted a loss at Auburn and still do. I think it's a good game and likely a very close game. Under Kiffin, Ole Miss has been must-see TV and there's no reason to think that won't continue. However, the injury situation at wide receiver and on the offensive line is worrisome, and I think Auburn is a very solid team. Throw in that stadium, at night, and against a rested team and I think it's too much to overcome. I'll go Auburn 31, Ole Miss 27.
