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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, November 2
Auburn, Ala.
6 PM
Ole Miss
at
Auburn
Game Primer: Ole Miss at Auburn
10/29/2019 | Football
Rebels, Tigers to Meet for 44th Time Saturday Night on ESPN
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OLE MISS (3-5, 2-3 SEC) vs. #11/12 AUBURN (6-2, 3-2 SEC) Saturday, Nov. 2 • 6 p.m. • Auburn, Ala. Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451)  |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen • Buy Tickets
Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Auburn Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Game Notes (PDF) |
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This is the 44th meeting all-time between Ole Miss and Auburn dating back to 1928.
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 32-10 and are 15-3 in Auburn ... Original record is 32-11, but Ole Miss' win in 2012 was vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• 84.5 percent of Ole Miss' offense (2,936 of 3,473 yards) have come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country.
• Six different freshmen have started at least one game this season for the Rebels.
• Ole Miss has forced at least one turnover in seven of its eight games this season.
• The Rebels' 276.6 yards rushing per game in SEC contests lead the conference.
• Ole Miss has only thrown three interceptions all season, which is the fewest in the SEC.
• The Rebels have started the same five offensive linemen in all eight games this season.
• Thirteen different Rebels have started all eight games of the season.
• QB John Rhys Plumlee's 508 yards rushing on the season are a program record by an Ole Miss freshman QB and are the fifth-most by any quarterback regardless of classification.
• Plumlee needs just 36 more yards to break the school rushing record for a quarterback in a single season.
• NT Benito Jones ranks fourth in the SEC in tackles for loss with 8.0.
• DB A.J. Finley leads the SEC and is No. 8 nationally in fumble recoveries with two.
• RB Jerrion Ealy has three 50-yard rushes this season, the fourth-most in the country.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH MATT LUKE
Matt Luke (Ole Miss, 2000) is in his 12th season at Ole Miss and third season at the helm, taking the reins of his alma mater as the 38th head coach in program history. He was born a Rebel as his family has ties to Ole Miss that span three generations. During his 25 years as a player and coach at the collegiate level, Luke has risen through the ranks while learning from a number of successful veteran coaches. He has worked alongside national champion Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and former Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville, among others. Luke, a four-year center for the Rebels (1995-98), spent five seasons as the team's co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach before being promoted to interim head coach for the 2017 season. During his first stop in Oxford (2002-05), he served four seasons coaching the Ole Miss tight ends and offensive line under Cutcliffe. Following his playing career, he served as a student assistant coach at Ole Miss in 1999, helping the Rebels to an 8-4 mark with regular-season wins against Auburn, South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas as well as a 27-25 triumph over Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl. He graduated in May 2000 with a degree in business administration. His father, Tommy, was a defensive back at Ole Miss in the 1960s while his brother, Tom, quarterbacked the Rebels from 1989-91. Tom is also on the Ole Miss football staff as assistant athletics director for player development.
AUBURN HEAD COACH GUS MALZAHN
Gus Malzahn (Henderson State, 1990) is in his seventh season as the Auburn head coach and is 6-2 in 2019. He owns a 59-29 record as the Tigers' head man and a 68-32 mark in eight seasons as a college head coach overall. Last year, he directed Auburn to an 8-5 record and a win in the Music City Bowl. In 2017, the Tigers reached as high as No. 2 in the College Football Playoff Poll and played in the SEC Championship Game for the second time in five seasons, knocking off No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama in November, the first time in poll history that a program has defeated two top-ranked teams during the same regular season. In 2013, he led the Tigers to one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history, guiding them all the way to the BCS national championship game, which they lost 34-31 to Florida State. Auburn was SEC champion, and Malzahn earned numerous SEC and national coach of the year honors. Prior to taking the Auburn job, Malzahn had a 9-3 record (and Sun Belt Conference title) in one season at Arkansas State. Malzahn was the Broyles Award winner when he was offensive coordinator for Auburn's national championship team in 2010.
TIGERS SCOUTING REPORT
Auburn is currently ranked No. 11 and is 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play entering this week's game with Ole Miss. Since starting the season 5-0, including a season opening win over No. 11 Oregon, Auburn has dropped two of its last three contests, including a 23-20 loss at No. 2 LSU on Saturday. The Tiger offense ranks seventh in the SEC with 415 yards of total offense, with 189 yards through the air and 226 rushing yards per game. True freshman Bo Nix has thrown for 1,458 yards with 12 passing TDs and six interceptions. Sophomore JaTarvious Whitlow leads the Tigers on the ground, averaging 79 rushing yards per game and seven rushing touchdowns, the third-most in the SEC. Wide receiver Seth Williams has hauled in 29 catches for 523 yards and eight TDs. Auburn is holding its opponents to 342 yards and 17.9 points per game. The Tigers rank 18th nationally in tackles for loss (7.5 per game) and are second in the SEC in sacks (2.9 per game). Sophomore Christian Tutt ranks sixth in the nation with 14.5 yards per punt return.
OLE MISS-AUBURN SERIES HISTORY
• Ole Miss and Auburn will be meeting for the 44th time in a series that started in 1928.
• Auburn leads the all-time series vs. Ole Miss 32-10.
• The original record is 32-11 in favor of Auburn, with Ole Miss' win in 2012 vacated due to NCAA ruling.
• The Tigers holds a 15-3 edge in games played at Auburn.
ALABAMA REBELS
The Ole Miss roster features 14 players who hail from Alabama: DE LeDarrius Cox (Mobile), OL Jalen Cunningham (Odenville), DB A.J. Finley (Mobile), DB Jakorey Hawkins (Montgomery), TE Jonathan Hess (Vestavia Hills), DT KD Hill (Eufaula), ILB Jacquez Jones (Tuscaloosa), NT Patrick Lucas, Jr. (Wetumpka), OLB Brandon Mack (Montgomery), OL Sam Plash (Mobile), DB Jamar Richardson (Aliceville), DB Ty Rocconi (Mobile), OLB Brenden Williams (Birmingham), OLB Sam Williams (Montgomery).
RECORD WATCH
Despite appearing in just five games this season, QB John Rhys Plumlee already has two single-season school records and is nearing several others:
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RUN, RUN, RUN SOME MORE
Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 18th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 232.5 yards per game. In SEC play, the Rebels have run for a league-best 1,383 yards and 11 touchdowns. Ole Miss has averaged 48.8 carries per conference game, over 13 more carries per game more than the league average (35.6). Ole Miss' 413 yards rushing vs. Vanderbilt during Week 6 were the most by Ole Miss against an SEC opponent since 1979 (Vandy, 443).
REBEL-TIGER CONNECTIONS
• Rebel freshman Keidron Smith and Auburn's Traivon Leonard were teammates at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida.
• Ole Miss' Jakorey Hawkins and Sam Williams both played at Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, with Auburn's Daniel Thomas.
• Rebel RB Snoop Conner was teammates at Hattiesburg HS in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with Auburn's Jaren Handy.
• Ole Miss' Donta Evans and Auburn's Colby Wooden both played at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
• Rebel OLB Brandon Mack and Auburn's Alec Jackson were teammates at Jefferson Davis HS in Montgomery, Alabama.
• Braylon Sanders attended Callaway High School in Georgia with Auburn's Keiondre Jones.
• Ole Miss defensive line coach Freddie Roach and Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele served on the Alabama staff during the 2008 season; Roach was the assistant strength and conditioning coach, while Steele was the Crimson Tide's defensive coordinator.
WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN
• 84.5 percent of Ole Miss' offense (2,936 of 3,473 yards) have come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country.
• 21 of Ole Miss' 26 touchdowns on the season have come from freshmen.
• Twelve of the last 14 touchdowns for Ole Miss have involved freshmen.
• The 51 total freshmen (36 true, 15 redshirt) on Ole Miss' roster account for over 43 percent of the roster, the third-most in the SEC.
• Six different freshmen have started at least one game this season for the Rebels.
• 23 freshmen (15 true, eight redshirt) have seen action for Ole Miss at least once during the first eight games of the season. Those freshmen include: WR Miles Battle (RS), DE Quentin Bivens (RS), OL Nick Broeker (True), ILB Ashanti Cistrunk (True), RB Snoop Conner (True), QB Matt Corral (RS), DE LeDarrius Cox (True), OL Jalen Cunningham (RS), RB Jerrion Ealy (True), DB A.J. Finley (True), WR Demarcus Gregory (RS), DB Jakorey Hawkins (RS), DT KD Hill (RS), WR Dannis Jackson (True), WR Jadon Jackson (True), DB Jalen Jordan (True), OLB Luke Knox, (RS), NT Patrick Lucas, Jr. (True), WR Jonathan Mingo (True), QB John Rhys Plumlee (True), DB Deantre Prince (True), DB Jay Stanley (True), QB Grant Tisdale (True).
EALY-SIVE
HB Jerrion Ealy is a player that has made the most of the touches he has gotten this season. Always a difficult player to tackle, of Ealy's 8.0 yards per carry this season, 5.4 have come after contact. That mark is good for third among all SEC running backs with at least 25 carries. On 48 carries, Ealy has forced 18 missed tackles, for an SEC-leading 0.38 missed tackles per carry. Ealy has also been measuring exceptionally well on PFF's elusive rating scale (189.3). The elusive rating measures the impact of a ball carrier past the point of his blocking, and Ealy is a distant first place in that metric among 37 qualifying SEC RBs. Ealy excels between the tackles, gaining 181 yards (8.7 YPC) and three TDs on 27 carries, forcing 14 missed tackles in the process. With Ole Miss' high rate of runs on first downs, Ealy surely has made a case to gain an increased amount of early down carries to help minimize long yardage needed situations as the year closes out.
CORRAL'S QUICK TRIGGER
QB Matt Corral has shown flashes over the course of his second season with the team. Of the 22 SEC quarterbacks that have thrown 50+ passes this season, Corral ranks seventh with a 70.9 passing grade. He also owns the third highest overall grade (72.8) among qualifying players on the Ole Miss offense. Despite not starting a game since Week 4, Corral has still managed to come off the bench in Weeks 7 and 8 and provide the team with solid QB play. Corral has thrived when getting the ball out quickly. On throws of 2.5 seconds or less, Corral has completed over 68 percent of his passes (73/107) for 821 yards and four TDs. His four Big Time Throws (PFF's highest graded passes) of 2.5 seconds or less in the pocket is tied for second most in the SEC.
STRONG AGAINST THE RUN
The Ole Miss defense currently ranks 32nd in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing 124.3 yards per game. Ole Miss has held four opponents to under 70 yards rushing this season, including limiting Vanderbilt to just 62 yards on the ground in the Rebels' win during Week 6. In Weeks 2, 3 and 4, the Rebels held their opponents to 61, 66 and 60 yards respectively. It was the first time since 1999 that Ole Miss had allowed 70 or less rushing yards in three straight games.
RUN-JRP
In just five appearances and four career starts, QB John Rhys Plumlee has put up some record-breaking numbers on the ground. Plumlee has carried the ball 86 times for 508 yards and four touchdowns. His 508 yards on the season are the most ever by an Ole Miss freshman QB and just 36 yards shy of setting the school record, regardless of year. He needs 104 yards to set Ole Miss' freshman rushing record. Plumlee is the only Ole Miss quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yards in three straight games. He's also the first Power 5 QB to rush for 100 or more yards in each of his first three starts since Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Michigan's Denard Robinson in 2010. In SEC contests, Plumlee leads the conference in rushing attempts (83) and rushing touchdowns (four) and is second in yards on the ground per game (113.8).
MORE MOORE = LESS DROPS
All season long, WR Elijah Moore has been the lead playmaker for the Rebels offense. As far as slot receivers go, Moore has been among the most productive in the entire country in 2019. Moore's 49 catches out of the slot rank second in the SEC, third among all Power 5 players, and fifth among all FBS players. What makes this statistic even more impressive is that he has done so without a single drop this season. All 49 of his catchable targets have resulted in completions. His streak of 49 consecutive catches without a drop to start the season is the longest one running in the nation, and his accompanying 92.0 drop grade is the highest of any player in college football. Despite a QB rotation in recent weeks and a run-heavy offense all season, Moore is also ranked near the top of the conference in yards per route run. His 2.49 yards per route run are tied for ninth most among the 36 SEC receivers with 25- targets this year.
A SPECIAL WEAPON
Through eight games, P Mac Brown has averaged 44.6 yards per punt. Nine of Brown's 41 punts this season have been more than 50 yards. Brown, a member of the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and Ray Guy Award Watch List, only had six punts that surpassed 50 yards last season.
A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE
DT Benito Jones leads the Rebels defense with 20 pressures on the season, while also being one of the team's best run defenders up front. Jones' 20 pressures rank sixth among all interior defensive linemen in the SEC. They also represent a new career-high tally for the senior. His previous high of 19 in 2018 came on 309 rushes. His new career high this year has been produced on nearly 100 less pass rushes (215). Against the run, Jones has been very solid. He has earned 11 tackles for loss against the run in 2019, and that ranks T-7th among all SEC interior linemen. He has also tallied five tackles for loss or no gain, and that is tied for sixth best among interior linemen in the conference.
COATNEY A KEY COG IN DEFENSIVE UNIT
DE Josiah Coatney is tied with Benito Jones for second on the team, with 15 defensive stops on the season. Also like Jones, Coatney has contributed 11 of his defensive stops against the run, tying for seventh best among interior defensive linemen in the SEC. Coatney's 12 total pressures (one sack, 11 huries) rank sixth on the team, but he has an additional 13 wins rushing that passer that did not result in formal pressures. That mark is by far the most on the team and tied with Javon Kinlaw of South Carolina for the most among SEC interior linemen. As far as grading, Coatney owns a 76.8 overall grade through Week 9 and has set himself up with a very good chance to finish with his third straight season of at least a 75.0 overall mark (75.8 in 2017, 82.0 in 2018).
125 SEASONS OF OLE MISS FOOTBALL
This year is the 125th season of football at Ole Miss. The Rebels boast an all-time record of 641-529-35 (.546 winning percentage) after vacated wins. Ole Miss did not field teams in 1897 due to an epidemic of yellow fever, and also in 1943 when football was abolished at all Mississippi state-supported institutions by the Board of Trustees.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC and 18th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 232.5 yards per game.
• The Rebels' 276.6 yards rushing per game in SEC contests lead the conference ... In SEC play, the Rebels have run for a league-best 1,383 yards and 11 touchdowns.
• Ole Miss has averaged 48.8 carries per conference game, over 13 more carries per game more than the league average (35.6).
• 84.5 percent of Ole Miss' offense (2,936 of 3,473 yards) has come from freshmen, the most by any team in the country ... 21 of Ole Miss' 26 touchdowns on the season have come from freshmen.
• QB John Rhys Plumlee's 508 yards rushing on the season are a program record by an Ole Miss freshman QB.
• Plumlee needs just 36 yards to set the Ole Miss single-season rushing record by a quarterback and 104 yards to own the freshman rushing record.
• Plumlee is the only Ole Miss quarterback in school history to rush for 100 yards in three straight contest and the first SEC quarterback to do so since 2010 when Tim Tebow tallied four such games.
• He's the first Power 5 QB to rush for 100+ yards in each of his first three starts since Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Michigan's Denard Robinson in 2010.
• RB/KR Jerrion Ealy is the first player since 2012 (Jaylen Walton) to record a rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the same season.
• WR Elijah Moore's 49 catches out of the slot rank second in the SEC, third among all Power 5 players, and fifth among all FBS players.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
• Ole Miss has forced at least one turnover in seven of its eight games this season.
• The Rebels currently rank 32nd in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing 124.3 yards per game.
• Ole Miss has held four opponents to under 70 yards rushing this season, including limiting the Vanderbilt to just 62
yards on the ground in the Rebels' win during Week 6.
• In Weeks 2, 3 and 4, the Rebels held their opponents to 61, 66 and 60 yards, respectively. It was the first time since
1999 that Ole Miss had allowed 70 or less rushing yards in three straight games.
• Seven different Rebels have tallied at least one interception in 2019.
• ILB Lakia Henry ranks eighth in the SEC in tackles per game (7.4).
• NT Benito Jones ranks fourth in the SEC in tackles for loss (8.0).
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• P Mac Brown is averaging 44.6 yards per punt, No. 20 in the NCAA.
• Nine of Brown's 41 punts this season have been more than 50 yards ... He had six punts that surpassed 50 yards last season.
• K Luke Logan leads the Rebels in scoring with 6.4 points per game.
• Logan has made at least one field goal in seven of the eight games this season.
• KR Jerrion Ealy ranks No. 1 in the SEC in kick return average (24.9).
• A.J. Finley leads the SEC and is No. 8 nationally in fumble recoveries with two ... Both fumble recoveries have come
on muffed punts.
MAC BROWN RAISES NEARLY 75K FOR ALS
When he was in seventh grade, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown had a modest goal of raising $500 for a childhood friend's dad who had been diagnosed with ALS. Along with a group of neighborhood friends, Brown started a lemonade stand, Awesome Lemonade Stand, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to help his friend's family. Eight years later, that $500 goal has ballooned to nearly $75,000 raised by Brown and his friends for ALS research. This year alone, the Awesome Lemonade Stand has raised more than $21,000 alone, including $4,500 during the Vanderbilt game when the stand was set up outside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
DEBUTS
Twenty-five players have made their Ole Miss debut so far this season: Nick Broeker (OL), Ashanti Cistrunk (DB), Spencer Cole (P), Snoop Conner (RB), LeDarrius Cox (DE), Jalen Cunningham (OL), Vernon Dash (OLB), Dontario Drummond (WR), Jerrion Ealy (RB), A.J. Finley (DB), Demarcus Gregory (WR), Casey Griffith (K), Jon Haynes (DB), Lakia Henry (OLB), Dannis Jackson (WR), Jadon Jackson (WR), Jalen Jordan (DB), Patrick Lucas, Jr. (NT), Jonathan Mingo (WR), D'Vaughn Pennamon (TE), John Rhys Plumlee (QB), Deantre Prince (DB), Jay Stanley (DB), Grant Tisdale (QB), Sam Williams (OLB).
BROTHERLY COMPANY
Ole Miss is one of only nine FBS schools in the country to have brothers on the same coaching staff as running backs coach Derrick Nix is in his 12th year at Ole Miss and Tyrone Nix is in his fifth overall season (second stint) coaching outside linebackers. If you include support staff, Matt and Tom Luke (Assistant A.D. for Player Development), the Rebels are the only school in the country to have two sets of brothers on staff.
• Jeff, Brian & Greg Brohm (HC, OC, Ops) - Purdue
• Travis & Trent Greene (GAs) - Syracuse
• Thomas & Tyquan Hammock (HC & GA) - Northern Illinois
• Willy & Colton Korn (Co-OC & Def. GA) - South Alabama
• Matt & Tom Luke (HC & Player Dev.) - Ole Miss
• Joey & Kevin Lynch (AHC/OC & RB) - Ball State
• Derrick & Tyrone Nix (RB & OLB) - Ole Miss
• Jake & Zac Spavital (HC & DC) - Texas State
• Matt & Luke Wells (HC & TE/IR) - Texas Tech
• Kyle & Freddie Whittingham (HC & TE) - Utah
LANDSHARK CHAIN GETS PASSED AROUND
When the Ole Miss defense forces a turnover, they get rewarded with the Landshark Chain; an occurrence that's happened numerous times during the 2019 season. The Rebels rank No. 29 in the SEC with eight interceptions, by seven different players. Ole Miss has forced at least one turnover in all but one game this season.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS
Thirteen Rebels have made their first career starts during the 2019 season: (Offense) Matt Corral (QB), Dontario Drummond (WR), Michael Howard (OL), Eli Johnson (OL), Luke Knox (OLB), Jonathan Mingo (WR), Royce Newman (OL); (Defense) Jon Haynes (DB), Lakia Henry (ILB), John Rhys Plumlee (QB), Deantre Prince (DB), Jay Stanley (DB), Sam Williams (OLB).
LUKE'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ON TUESDAYS
RebTalk, the official weekly radio show of Ole Miss Athletics, is moving to a new day and location for this season. Beginning Aug. 27, RebTalk will be broadcast each Tuesday this fall at Bouré in downtown Oxford from 7-8 p.m. The show, which is hosted by the "Voice of the Rebels" David Kellum and includes special guests, will air live on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network. Ole Miss Football head coach Matt Luke and select players will join the broadcast each Tuesday throughout the season.
HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE
After the 2018 campaign, Matt Luke found himself in the market for both an offensive and defensive coordinator, and he delivered in a big way. Mike MacIntyre, a two-time national coach of the year and coaching veteran with nearly three decades of experience, will take over the reigns as the Rebels' defensive coordinator while Rich Rodriguez, considered one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football, will serve as Ole Miss' offensive coordinator. Ole Miss is one of only two teams in the nation, along with Alabama, to have three coaches with Power 5 head coaching experience.
CHUCKY MULLINS COURAGE AWARD
In the spring, senior DE Austrian Robinson became the 29th different Rebel to be awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award, which goes to a standout defensive player each year. The award honors the late Chucky Mullins, who had his Ole Miss career come to an end during the 1989 Homecoming game against Vanderbilt when he was paralyzed after making a tackle. After returning to his studies at Ole Miss, Mullins passed away May 6, 1991. Robinson wears the No. 38 jersey in Mullins' honor this season.
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