Coach Matt Luke and Ole Miss football are ready and set for another tough match-up when the Auburn Tigers come to Oxford this Saturday.
Coach Matt Luke and Ole Miss football (5-2, 1-2) will be back in action this Saturday when they host the Auburn Tigers (4-3, 1-3). The Rebels are coming into the match-up off a tough fought comeback 37-33 SEC road win at Arkansas. The Tigers come into the Saturday morning match-up with a 30-24 home loss to the Tennessee Vols.
While many thought Auburn was going to be much better at this point in the season the Tigers have fought to find good wins. The Rebels are in much the same position. Not many college football or even Ole Miss fans expected the Rebels to be 5-2 at this point in 2018. This match-up is not what either fan-base expected but it could actually be a very tough one for both teams. Of course, we need to take a closer look at the Tigers.
A Closer Look
Ole Miss Rebels
The Auburn Tigers come into Saturdays game against the Rebels with wins over Washington, Alabama State, Arkansas and Southern Miss. Auburn’s three losses have come against LSU, Miss State and Tennessee. Washington was the only ranked team the Tigers found a win against. In turn LSU has been the Tigers only ranked loss in 2018.
Don’t let this Auburn Tigers teams record fool you into believing they aren’t still a great team which has simply lost its way in recent weeks. Coach Gus Malzahn is an offensive genius but the Tigers have suffered greatly trying to find itself. Malzahn and the Tigers have had to rely on one of the best defenses in the SEC to keep them in games and they have struggled lately as well.
Tigers On Offense
The Tigers are led on offense by junior QB Jarrett Stidham who ranks 6th in the SEC in passing. So far in 2018 Stidham has completed 129 of 213 attempts for 1,499 yards and 7 TDs while throwing 4 INTs. Stidham has been sacked 15 times in 2018.
While the Tigers have a number of very good receivers they are led by senior Ryan Davis who has 36 receptions for 309 yards. Davis leads the team in receiving but has yet to score a touchdown this season. Junior Darius Slayton is second on the Tigers team in receiving with 19 receptions for 270 yards and 1 TD.
The Auburn Tigers will try to make their money on the ground. The Tigers running game is led by freshman JaTarvious Whitlow who has 81 carries for 456 yards and 4 TDs. Junior Kam Martin is second on the team with 69 carries for 254 yards and 1 TD. Of course, Malzahn will try to attack the Rebels on the ground.
Tigers On Defense
The Tigers front seven are some of the best in the conference and are led by senior linebacker Deshaun Davis who leads the team with 49 tackles and has 1 sack. One the line there is sophomore defensive lineman Nick Coe. So far in 2018 Coe has logged 3 sacks and 13 tackles. In the secondary the Tigers rely on junior Jeremiah Dinson who has 26 tackles, 1 sack and 2 INTs.
So far thru seven games the Tigers allowed 2,337 yards of total offense giving up 881 on the ground and 1,456 yards thru the air. The Tigers are holding their opponents to 16.57 points per game. This defense is good and will have some stuff drawn up to deal with the Ole Miss offense.
Ole Miss football fans are ready to see which two teams actually show up for the game Saturday. Despite the Rebels having the better record and offense they do come into the Vaught as the underdog. We don’t have to wait long to find out how the game turns out. The Ole Miss Rebels will be hosting the Auburn Tigers this Saturday in Oxford. Kickoff from the Vaught is set for 11am CT and the game will be televised via ESPN. Good luck to coach Matt Luke and the Rebels! BEAT THE WEAGLES! Hotty Toddy!