OXFORD, Miss. — Auburn trailed the Rebels 17-15 halfway through the third quarter Saturday, hoping to beat their second top-15 team in three weeks; however, Trinidad Chambliss took the lead after that, scoring three straight touchdowns to put the game away, 45-15.
The two teams traded shots early, as neither could score on its opening drive. Auburn still has not scored on an opening drive this season, making the Tigers one of six FBS teams without an opening-drive score.
After each opening drive failed to produce points for either team, Horatio Fields and Makhi Frazier got the Ole Miss offense moving. Fields, a transfer from Auburn this past offseason, started the drive with catches of 15 and 8 yards, aided by runs of 13 and 5 yards.
Ole Miss almost had a touchdown a couple of plays later on a trick pass from Traylon Ray to Deuce Alexander that fell incomplete. Then, when the Tigers thought they had got off the field on third down twice, they were called for holding and pass interference. The pass interference penalty moved the ball to the 2-yard line, setting up defensive tackle Will Echoles' 1-yard rushing touchdown to cap the 17-play, 89-yard drive.
Auburn was motivated to respond to Ole Miss’ long drive with one of their own: a 14-play, 75-yard drive. After several negative plays to start the drive, a 24-yard pass to Chaz Nimrod got the Auburn offense moving, followed by two runs from Omar Mabson II and a catch by Christian Neptune. Byrum Brown then converted a fourth-and-2 with a 4-yard run to keep the drive alive.
Brown would keep that momentum going just a couple of plays later, connecting with Chaz Nimrod on a 21-yard pass. Alex McPherson's extra-point attempt was blocked, and Ole Miss returned it 92 yards to Auburn's 5-yard line.
On Ole Miss's next possession, Chambliss made one of his few mistakes of the day. He threw an interception to Auburn safety AnQuon “Newboy” Fegans, who returned it 4 yards to the Ole Miss 31-yard line.
However, Auburn's momentum was short-lived. Brown fumbled on the first play after the interception, and Ole Miss recovered at its own 14-yard line. The Rebels then drove 86 yards in 14 plays, capped by a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Shekai Mills-Knight to take a 14-6 lead.
Auburn got the ball back before halftime, hoping to tie the game. After a 23-yard pass to Christian Neptune and two flags by Ole Miss’s defense, Auburn reached the Ole Miss 11-yard line. Brown's fourth-down pass intended for Nimrod fell incomplete. Auburn settled for a 29-yard field goal from Alex McPherson with 5 seconds remaining in the first half, cutting the deficit to 14-9.
After halftime, though, Ole Miss wouldn’t go a drive without scoring, with three touchdowns by Chambliss. Chambliss went 13-for-19 in the second half, finishing with 263 yards through the air, 65 yards on the ground, and one rushing touchdown.
Earlier in the week, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin called Chambliss one of the best players in the conference and the nation.
“He’s definitely one of the best players, if not the best player in the country, and he’s very comfortable in that offense,” Durkin said.
Before Chambliss got hot in the second half, Auburn threatened to tie the game on the second drive of the second half. A 15-yard reception from Neptune, a 15-yard reception from DeShawn Spencer and a 15-yard pass interference penalty against Ole Miss moved the Tigers into the red zone. After two successful runs from Jeremiah Cobb, Brown pushed the ball into the end zone on a 7-yard run, cutting the deficit to 17-15 with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter. The Tigers didn’t get the 2-point conversion after Brown couldn’t get the ball to the end zone.
After Auburn failed to convert the 2-point attempt, Ole Miss began its 28-0 run to close the game. Chambliss scored on a 26-yard rushing touchdown late in the third quarter, then threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter: a 6-yard pass to Caleb Cunningham and a 28-yard pass to Horatio Fields. Chambliss finished 22 of 34 passing for 263 yards and two touchdowns, adding 65 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on seven carries.
The final nail in the coffin came when former Auburn quarterback Deuce Knight scored the final touchdown on a 17-yard run with 3:27 remaining, sealing the 45-15 victory for Ole Miss.
Quarterback Tristan Ti’a went out for the last Tiger possession as Byrum Brown finished 25-38 for 195 yards, a passing touchdown, and a fumble. Ti’a completed 4 of 5 passes for 54 yards. Brown finished 25 of 38 passing for 195 yards and a touchdown, with one lost fumble.
Head coach Alex Golesh talked after the game about the offensive performance.
“Disappointing in every way. Though the first half and the opening part of the third quarter, there was an intent that you wanted,” Golesh said. “There was a lack of finish, and that's the first time I've seen that from this team this year ... That's making me sick."
Auburn will return to Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 7, against Arkansas. It will be another early game for the Tigers, at 11:45 a.m. CST on SEC Network.
