2020 The Ole Miss Game

It seems to me that the season is in peril. At 2 & 2 the season is on the brink. Lose this one and the reaction will be ugly. It was bad last week losing to South Carolina, a team we clearly should have beaten. Somehow Auburn is a 3.5 favorite at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The game kicks off at 11 on the SEC Network. The Rebs are 1 and 3. How did they lose to Arkansas last week? They can score points. I do not see how the Tigers can keep up. FIRST QUARTER Both teams go three and out to start the game. Ole Miss is trying to run early. The Rebels drive to a third and goal from the four when Auburn intercepts in the end zone on a poorly thrown pass. From their five Auburn is quickly out over their 30 behind the Tank. First down to midfield. First down to the Ole Miss 39. First down to the 19. First down to the 8. Nix to the four but loses the ball. Call on the field is that he was down. The play is reviewed and the call on the field stands. Close! Bigsby scores on the next play thru the line standing up. That was a nice drive on the ground with only one pass that I can remember. Smash mash football. Auburn 7 Ole Miss 0 The Rebels get a big run by the QB on third and 4 and are all the way to the Auburn 32. Like Auburn they are running the football. The quarter ends with OM just inside the Red Zone keeping the ball on the ground and having success. SECOND HALF TD pass from the 7 on third down. Auburn 7 Ole Miss 0 It looks like our defense cannot stop their offense which I figured would be the case. The really disappointing thing is that all of their success is on the ground. Their run game is gashing our defense. Can our offense keep up? I don't see it happening. This is exactly how I figured this game would go only I did not think they would run the ball like this. The Tigers punch out two quick first downs behind Shivers runs. First down to the OM 20. First and goal from the 4. Touchdown Bo Nix on the keeper around left end. Auburn 14 Ole Miss 7 The Rebs try to draw Auburn offsides on 4th 5 but it doesn't work. The Rebs go for it anyway and pickup the first down. Then we are called for interference in the end zone. First down OM at our 25. OM keeps converting third downs. Not good. And they continue to gash us on the ground. Touchdown Ole Miss. Auburn 14 Ole Miss 14 3:35 left in the half. This is a low-grade shootout so far. I continue to doubt our offense can keep up. WE drive to midfied but the drive stalls with 46 seconds left. The punt leaves the playing field on the 10. 36 seconds left. One play and the clock expires. At the half this is truly anybody's game. THIRD QUARTER Bigsby runs the kickoff back the distance but AU is called for holding. We begin on the 20. We get to our 49 before running out of downs. This is the problem. We cannot sustain drives like they can. And NOW our punter cannot handle a high snap. Ole Miss is one our 25. This is a turnover, the last thing we needed to open the second half. Our defense holds bringing up 4th and 5. It's a fake FG attempt and we stuff it! That is HUGE! We move to 4th and less than a yard and we punt. I am disappointed but we back OM up to their 11 on the punt. We will look back if we lose this game to offensive ineffectiveness early in the half. Quickly Ole Miss gets a long completion and they are inside our 10. We will be behind shortly and to play catch up. They had a receiver wide open with no defender around. First play inside the 10 touchdown. Ole Miss goes 89 hards in three plays. Yikes. Auburn 14 Ole Miss 21 We are behind now. It will be very difficult to win this game since our defense cannot stop their offense and our offense cannot keep up. This is just what I predicted. We drop the kickoff and start on our 12. If we don't score here the game is over. One first down. Two first downs. Third first down inside the OM 40. Long completion to Williams at the one. Shivers runs it in on the next play. We have to have this! Auburn 21 Ole Miss 21 The defense gets a big stop. Ole Miss is punting on their 37. The Tigers begin on the 20. The quarter ends with Auburn at second and 8 from the 22. The Tigers drive to the 18 where Bigsby runs it in around left end. Tank Bigsby is a winner. But then our holder can't handle the high snap and the point after fails. Oh my, this could cost us the ball game. Auburn 27 Ole Miss 21 10:04 left. Likely OM will go the distance and our offense will have to do it again. OM gets to our 20 the clock winding down to 6:32. First and goal OM from the 5. Touchdown. Auburn 27 Ole Miss 28 We are a missed point after from losing this game. Can our offense win the game for us? We get called for holding. First and 20. No gain second and 20. Third and 20. We are in real trouble if we cannot maintain possession. Incomplete pass. Fourth down. Ole Miss regains possesion on their 45. Barring a miracle this game has slipped away with 4:50 to go. Our defense holds. OM ppunts to the end zone. We start on the 20 with 2:25 to go. Nix is sacked on the first play. Third and short. First down just across the 30. First down incompletion. First down with 1:21 to go. TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Nix to Williams who rambles 40 yards after the catch for the score. TWO POINT CONVERSION IS GOOD! AUBURN 35 OLE MISS 28 1:11 to go. OM fair catches the kickoff. First pass incomplete 1:08 left. QB runs just enough for the first down. Clock winds under a minute. OOB play with 26 seconds left. QB runs out of bounds, 17 seconds left around midfield. Incompletion. 13 seconds left from our 40. Completion to the 29 with 8 seconds left. Now comes the throw to the end zone and I hope we do not get called for interference. Incompletion. Open recever can't come up with the ball. 3 seconds left. Last play Auburn intercepts game over!!! Big win for the Tigers. Seth Williams make the play. Catches the ball around the OM 40, turns and runs it in. The play of the game. Seth Williams is a gamer!!! Auburn 35 Ole Miss 28