Five Questions: Previewing Auburn at Ole Miss

Auburn and Ole Miss get together Saturday at 11 a.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.

AuburnSports.com's Christian Clemente and RebelGrove.com's Neal McCready exchanged five questions and answers in advance of Saturday's annual meeting between the Tigers and Rebels.

Neal McCready: 1. It's been a rough few weeks for Auburn, and it could've been even worse if a blown call hadn't gone the Tigers' way. What's the general mood there?

Christian Clemente: The general mood around the program really isn’t great. Fans have seemingly called it quits on this season and they’re looking forward to the future. The problem with looking to the future is that this season has created a major negative impact on 2021 recruiting. The team still seems to remain committed, talking about how they’re looking to bounce back and prove what they’re made of against Ole Miss, but when you see guys like Bo Nix and Seth Williams arguing on the sideline, and your defensive and team leader K.J. Britt is out for at least several more weeks, someone needs to get control of the locker room and take charge. With Britt gone, I’m not sure if anybody can do that.

Neal McCready: 2. Offensively, I thought Bo Nix would take a big sophomore step forward. He hasn't. What's happened, in your opinion?

Christian Clemente:I would say Bo Nix has made some improvements, but not nearly as much as people thought he might. Nix’s biggest issue is still his pocket presence. He has little to no faith in his offensive line, so even when he has time in the pocket he still gets happy feet and will roll out. He also still relies far too heavily on Seth Williams. Don’t get me wrong, he’s without a doubt the best wide receiver on the roster, but Nix can’t strictly rely on him and that issue was showcased against South Carolina. On his first interception of the game, he panicked and ran out of the pocket when he didn’t need to, then forced a throw to Seth Williams that was in heavy traffic and Jaycee Horn picked it off. If Nix wants to improve, those are two big issues he’ll need to work on.

Neal McCready: 3. Is the Gus Malzahn/Chad Morris dynamic a problem?

Christian Clemente: That’s tough to say and it’s probably a little too early to call. In Chad Morris’ defense, you can only gameplan so well when your offensive line is getting beat almost instantly. The one thing I will say, though, is Tank Bigsby and the running backs absolutely need to become a bigger part of the gameplan. Against South Carolina, Bigsby carried it 16 times for 111 yards while Bo Nix passed 48 times. Malzahn has talked all season about being balanced, and while the total yardage between rushes and passes were about even, Auburn needs to get the backs more involved. To wrap back to the dynamic, if the season keeps going downhill, I don’t see a world where Malzahn gets fired, but Morris seems like the perfect fall guy candidate.

Neal McCready: 4. Defensively, Arkansas played conservatively and Ole Miss struggled mightily. What plan do you think Kevin Steele will utilize against Matt Corral and the Rebels' offense?

Christian Clemente: The defense has been really tough to call all season long. First off, they have the 72nd-worst third-down defense in the country which is obviously a major, major problem. Without guys like Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown, the Tigers have really struggled to get to the quarterback. People thought Big Kat Bryant and Tyrone Truesdell might be able to fill those roles and they haven’t even come close. If Auburn wants to make Corral uncomfortable, they’re going to have to dial up pressure. The problem is, even though the conservative style worked for Arkansas, I don’t think that can work for Auburn. This secondary is still unhealthy and has had some penalty issues early on. The other big issue, and the thing that really concerns me, is Auburn’s ability to defend Kenny Yeboah and Jerrion Ealy and the Ole Miss running backs in the passing game. Against Arkansas, it felt like a tight end or running back was open literally every play. Considering Yeboah is one of the top tight ends in the league, that’s a huge issue for Kevin Steele and Auburn.

Neal McCready: 5. Give me a game prediction. Who wins and how does it play out?

Christian Clemente: I’m actually rolling with Ole Miss, and I’ll take them to win 38-30. Auburn has been inconsistent all season, but it’s been worse when on the road. The defense can shutout a team for a quarter and look incredible, then give up 21 points the next quarter. The offense can come out hot and then disappear and be forced to make a comeback. I don’t think you can do that and get away with it against Ole Miss, a team I’d say is definitely better than South Carolina. I personally don’t think Auburn will ever control the game, either. They’ll stay close, but never close enough to take home a victory.

Christian Clemente: 1. The Ole Miss offense has showcased some of its strengths against Alabama, but also faltered against Arkansas, what do you expect out of them this game?

Neal McCready: I think you'll see them bounce back a bit. Arkansas had a great plan and Ole Miss never adjusted. They'll be more prepared for that -- dropping eight, playing zone -- this week. I suspect you'll see Corral check down more often and I suspect you'll see Ole Miss be more patient trying to establish the running game. I can't imagine Auburn will defend Ole Miss much differently until and unless Ole Miss runs the Tigers out of that scheme. Ole Miss wants the Tigers to be aggressive and let Corral use his feet and the middle of the field. Arkansas took that away. I also think Ole Miss will try to use more of the tempo that gave Alabama fits. For some reason, the Rebels didn't do that much in Fayetteville.

Christian Clemente: 2. On the offensive side of the ball, who are some key players Auburn fans should look for?

Neal McCready: It all starts with Corral. He was awful against Arkansas after being brilliant against Florida, Kentucky and Alabama. Both backs are special, but Jerrion Ealy is the one capable of having a breakout game. Elijah Moore is one of the league's top receivers, but it's been tight end Kenny Yeboah who has proven to be the key to the Ole Miss offense. Arkansas took him away and the Rebels struggled. Jonathan Mingo has also had some bright spots as a wide receiver and left tackle Nick Broeker is emerging as one of the league's better linemen.

Christian Clemente: 3. Defensively, what will the Ole Miss defense need to focus on in order to beat Auburn?

Neal McCready: The Rebels were OK against Arkansas, which is the first time they could say anything remotely positive on defense this year. To have a chance Saturday, they have to continue to tackle better, continue to improve in terms of honoring their assignments and preserving gap integrity and they have to get off the field when they have a chance to. After giving up 723 yards to Alabama, the Rebels were better against Arkansas, holding the Razorbacks to 19 offensive points. Feleipe Franks did some damage, but Ole Miss contained the Hogs' ground game pretty well. To beat Auburn, they have to contain Bo Nix, not let Seth Williams beat them deep and tackle consistently. Auburn is going to score Saturday; Ole Miss has to make them work for it.

Christian Clemente: 4. Who's a player or two that can make an impact on the game from the Ole Miss defense?

Neal McCready: Sam Williams is a strong player off the edge and he has to get to Nix or make him uncomfortable for the Rebels to win. Defensive back Jalen Jordan had a big game against Arkansas and is starting to emerge as a playmaker all over the field. Also, linebacker MoMo Sanogo is a stabilizing key for Ole Miss' defense. When he's solid, as he was in Fayetteville, Ole Miss' defense has a chance to be serviceable.

Christian Clemente: 5. Game prediction? Who comes out on top and why?

Neal McCready: I think Auburn wins by 4-6 points. I just think the Tigers are too balanced on offense for Ole Miss to stop and I think Auburn is good enough on defense to prevent Ole Miss from just going wild. In the end, I see something along the lines of a 35-31 game. I think it'll be close and entertaining, but I think Auburn is simply better and will prevail. Ole Miss' one chance, in my opinion, is a fast start which forces Auburn to play catch-up. From what I've seen of the Tigers, I don't think that would work in their favor. In the end, I think Auburn scores in the mid- to high-30s and Ole Miss scores 30-34 points.