A game changing pick by Joshua Holsey!
(AP Photo/Thomas Graning)
War Eagle everybody! It’s time now for the Acid Reign Report on Auburn’s 40-29 win over Ole Miss on the road. It wasn’t always a thing of beauty, but Auburn’s second trip this season to the magnolia state resulted in a double digit win, and the Tigers continue to tear through a tough SEC schedule. Some issues were exposed in the secondary, but I have to give Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly a lot of credit. Auburn will not see another arm as strong and accurate this season, unless it is in a bowl game.
While the Auburn defense was taking blow after blow from the quick-passing Ole Miss offense, the Auburn offense was relentless, and kept the Tigers in the game throughout. Ole Miss would score to take the lead, and Auburn always answered. Everyone in the building knew that Auburn’s big back Kamryn Pettway would get the ball, but Ole Miss could only hope to slow him down. Pettway piled up 236 yards on the night, and ran over Rebel hopes and dreams. When Pettway wasn’t carrying the ball, other Tigers stepped up. Quarterback Sean White masterfully spread the ball around, and was also successful scrambling for first downs when protection broke down. White actually finished with a higher grade than record-setting Chad Kelly did, on the other side!
The relentless pressure Auburn has relied on defensively in recent weeks was neutralized, for the most part, this week. The Rebels did not use many 7-step drops this game, instead opting to get the ball out quickly to a talented host of receivers. Ole Miss relied heavily on the quick slant pass, and dared Auburn to move up and make a play. When the Tigers showed any move to the inside, the Rebels would uncork a back shoulder fade on them. Kelly and the Ole Miss offense were virtually unstoppable in the first half, and led Auburn 22-20 at the half.
Auburn did show a bit more aggressiveness in coverage in the second half, but a lot of it was window dressing. The focus remained on not letting Ole Miss hit deep passes. As much as anything, I feel like Chad Kelly just cooled down a bit in the second half. Auburn’s offense had a lot to do with that. In the 4th quarter, as Auburn pulled away, Ole Miss hardly had the ball. Auburn had possession of the ball for 11 minutes and 39 seconds in the 4th quarter, and outscored the Rebels 13-0 during this period. That was the story of the ballgame.
Special teams play was crucial in keeping pace with the Ole Miss offense. Kicker Daniel Carlson hit on all 4 of his field goal attempts, and notched 6 more touchbacks. I’ve been a bit critical of punter Kevin Phillips in recent weeks, but he uncorked a 50 yard punt at a crucial time in this game. If there is an issue on special teams, it might be kick coverage. After the Tigers took a 33-29 lead midway through the 4th, the Tiger coverage gave up a 43 yard kickoff return to set Ole Miss up with good field position. Fortunately, Ole Miss dropped a sure touchdown pass, then Joshua Holsey jumped a square-in route, made a great interception, and returned it deep into Ole Miss territory. Auburn cashed the opportunity, and the game was essentially over at that point.
Unit Grades, after the jump!
Defensive Line: A. Some folks might be critical of a line that only managed a couple of sacks on a record setting Ole Miss day, but there just wasn’t much chance with Ole Miss unloading the ball quickly. The defensive line still got a few hurries, and totally throttled any Ole Miss rushing attempt. Quarterback Chad Kelly led all Ole Miss rushers with a measly 40 yards. No Ole Miss rusher averaged even 4 yards per carry.
Linebackers: A-. I thought the tigers might have had their worst tackling outing of the year. Overall, it was another good performance, but we did see several guys get away from initial contact and keep fighting for yards.
Secondary: B-. I felt like the secondary got exposed a bit, in this game. Auburn’s corners on both sides had made a name for themselves this year for swatting balls away, but with the exception of Joshua Holsey, they were unable to prevent catch after catch. Holsey is not playing enough snaps, in my opinion. In limited time, Holsey had 5 pass break ups, and a back-breaking interception. No one else in the secondary got a hand on a ball. Auburn safeties had particular difficulty staying with Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram.
Punt Returns: A. Ole Miss only punted twice. Marcus Davis managed a fair catch at the 18 that prevented a roll to the corner. Davis took another punt from the 14 out to the 24 to give the Tigers some breathing room. This was a good change for the Tigers, as the week before lots of balls hit the ground and rolled.
Kick Returns: C. Auburn had an awful return on the first Tiger possession, and a great one later on by Kerryon Johnson that gave the Tigers the ball at the 31. Ole Miss kicked touchbacks on 5 of 7 kickoffs.
Place Kicking: A+. Daniel Carlson made clutch kicks all day, and delivered 6 touchbacks on 9 kickoffs. Coverage remains a problem, on rare returns. Auburn gave up a 43 yard return late, after taking a 4 point lead in the game.
Offensive Line: A+. Auburn once again dominated up front. Ole Miss had to load the box to come up with stops, and I can’t fault the line for not getting all 8 defenders blocked. On 22 Auburn pass attempts, Ole Miss had just 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry. The line paved the way for Auburn to rush for 307 yards on the day.
Running Backs: A+. It was the Kamryn Pettway show, once again. Every game, Pettway’s rushing totals go up, thus far. Auburn’s backs did not fumble the ball, and were spot on in pass protection.
Receivers: A. I thought receiver blocking was great, this week. With leading receiver Tony Stevens sitting this game out due to injury, other guys stepped up, like Darius Slayton, who had 3 clutch grabs. Kudos to Jalen Harris for getting his first reception, for a score. He’s been used exclusively as a blocker, for the last 2 seasons. He looked pretty smooth on that route and catch, did he not?
Quarterback: A+. White did a great job of finding the open man, and making the throw. I cringed when he took off out of the pocket on 3rd and 13, but he was able to scramble for the first down. Quarterbacks are taught not to do that on 3rd and plus 10, but White has been successful at it, thus far.
This time a year ago, Auburn was smarting from a 27-19 home loss, and wondering how to get to a bowl game. Ole Miss scored a similar amount of points this season, but the Tiger offense is leaps and bounds better, this year. The win has Auburn poised to make a run at a division crown. No one is laughing off these Tigers, now!
It’s time now for the Tigers to keep the hammer down, and plow over a trio of opponents en route to the Iron Bowl. Vanderbilt visits for an early game next weekend, then the Tigers travel to Athens to take on a struggling Georgia team. The Tigers then tune up with Alabama A&M, before heading to Tuscaloosa to take on the Tide. This bunch of Tigers could well run the table, and end up in Atlanta, the first weekend in December!
The post Auburn Rumbles over the Rebels! (Grading Auburn’s 40-29 win over Ole Miss.) appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.
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