#13 Ole Miss travels on the road to Auburn for Hugh Freeze reunion
The Ole Miss football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks at home last week, picking up back-to-back wins. The Rebels did not climb any spots in the newest AP Poll rankings and are ranked #13 heading into their week eight matchup.
Last year, the Rebels traveled to Razorback Stadium but suffered a 42-27 blowout loss. This year, the Razorbacks came into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium where the Rebels are undefeated at home.
The Razorbacks got the ball first and went on to score a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback KJ Jefferson to wide receiver Ty Washington to make it a 7-0 lead. The Rebels responded with a 27-yard field goal from kicker Caden Davis to cut the lead down to 7-3. The Rebels would hold Arkansas on the next drive and capitalize with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Quinshon Judkins to make it 10-7 Rebels.
The second quarter would be a quiet one with the only score being a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jaxson Dart to wide receiver Dayton Wade to extend the Rebel lead to 17-7 going into the half.
In the third quarter, there were not any touchdowns accounted for. The Ole Miss offense went cold and failed to score any points, and Arkansas converted on two field goals to cut the deficit down to 17-13 in favor of the Rebels.
Arkansas opened up the fourth quarter by taking the lead 20-17 on a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback KJ Jefferson to wide receiver Ty Washington. Ole Miss answered on a 7-yard touchdown run from running back Ulysses Bentley IV, reclaiming the lead by a score of 24-20. The Rebels tacked on a 22-yard field goal as the game ended by a final score of 27-20.
Ole Miss running back Ulysses Bentley IV was the MVP of this game with 94 total yards and one rushing TD, which ultimately won the Rebels the game at the end.
The Rebels headed into their bye week with a 5-1 record. It couldn’t have happened a better time after the offense suffered injuries from star players against Arkansas.
For week eight, the #13 Ole Miss Rebels (5-1) will travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium to face the Auburn Tigers (3-3). The Rebels open up as huge 6.5 point favorites on the road.
The biggest questions for the Rebels are how healthy they can get after the bye week, and if they can claim their first SEC away win of the season. Auburn will look to break out of their losing streak as they have lost three straight games after suffering a blowout loss to LSU last weekend.
This will be the first game for the Ole Miss football program against former head coach Hugh Freeze, who coached for the Rebels from 2012-2017. He helped deliver back-to-back wins against Alabama and won the Sugar Bowl in 2016 during his time with Ole Miss.
Week Eight Prediction: Ole Miss Rebels 37, Auburn Tigers 17.
