It is halftime in Oxford, Mississippi in the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Ole Miss Rebels, and despite a back-and-forth stalemate to start from both sides, Auburn has within one possession at the intermission.
The Rebels lead the Tigers 14-9 at the break, as Auburn has shown some signs of life on offense and capability to move the football.
However, two early third-down penalties bailed Ole Miss out and allowed it to score a touchdown, and a blocked extra point on the first Tigers score kept the Rebels with an advantage.
Wth the first 30 minutes complete, here are three big defining traits of the first half of play from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Crucial third-down penalties
One of the key parts of this game that Auburn needed to do in order to win this game was get off the field on third down and get Trinidad Chambliss on the sidelines. One the first drive, the Tigers were able to do that. On the second drive, they almost did it again, but two third down penalties on incomplete passes allowed Ole Miss to keep driving and extend momentum.
One of those penalties was a pass interference in the end zone, putting the ball at the 2-yard line. That put the Rebels in prime scoring position to begin the second quarter, and on the first play of the period, defensive tackle Will Echoles did a fullback dive for a touchdown from the 1-yard line. That gave Ole Miss the early lead, one that was important now in the context of this game.
How important special teams are
It is funny how many football fans underestimate the importance of special teams, but it is true. Just look at the action in Oxford. Auburn got a touchdown in the second quarter on a 21-yard pass from Byrum Brown to Chas Nimrod over the middle, giving the Tigers the chance to tie the game. However, Jaheim Oatis blocked the ensuing extra poit for the Rebels, keeping them up by one point. In the wholistic outlook of the game, that could prove to be very important, as it kept Auburn behind on the scoreboard, needing an extra score of some kind to at least take the lead in the second half.
Mills-Knight putting in work
With the news of Kewan Lacy being out for Saturday’s game, many wondered how Ole Miss would handle the run game. It was assumed Mahki Frazier would be the main ball carrier. Enter Shekai Mills-Knight. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound sophomore has been a rock so far with 12 carries for 55 yards. His short bursts have kept the chains moving, and the Tigers can’t seem to stop it. In the second half, his production will be key in terms of fatiguing the Auburn defense. Factor in that his break of first contact is solid too, and he is making a case to get more and more playing time towards the end of this year.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
