No. 24 Mississippi 4 1/2 Point Favorites Over Auburn

NFL News - October 29th, 2009 - Written by Scott

SEC title hopes are probably not on the minds of No. 24 Mississippi and Auburn. However, the two teams will face on Saturday as both schools look to regain the prestige they had earlier in the season. Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2) started the season ranked No. 8, but two losses have dropped them in the rankings. The Tigers (5-3, 2-3) have lost their last three games after starting the season 5-0. Auburn lost to LSU 31-10 last Saturday. The Rebels took care of business against Arkansas by winning 30-17. In last years meeting , Ole Miss got by Auburn 17-7.

Ole Miss would benefit greatly if Dexter McCluster has the type of game he had last week against Arkansas. Against the Razorbacks, McCluster had 123 yards rushing and 137 yards receiving. However, Brandon Bolden has done most of the damage on the ground for the Rebels and has 426 yards and 1 touchdown. The offense is led by quarterback Jevan Snead who has passed for 1,440 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has been prone to turning over the ball and has 11 interceptions. His favorite targets at receiver have been Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster. They have combined for 794 yards and 6 touchdowns. Their offense will need to get their ground game going against Auburn who got burned on the ground last weekend.

The Rebels defense has shown every game that they are capable of shutting down one aspect of their opponents offense. The down side is that it changes from game to game. They will need to focus on stopping Auburn's strong running game in order to be successful this weekend and force them to go to the air.

Auburn brings in one of the best rushing offenses in the nation and are averaging 230 yards per game. They are led by running back Ben Tate who has rushed for 923 yards and 5 touchdowns. They should improve on their miserable performance against LSU where they totalled only 193 total yards. Quarterback Chris Todd has been consistent this year and had passed for 1,490 yards and 12 touchdowns. Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery have emerged as the go-to players at receiver and have combined for 798 yards and 9 touchdowns. The key for Auburn will be establishing their running game and not relying on Todd to bail them out.

The Tigers defense mirrors that of the Rebels in the fact that they too only seem dominating in one facet of their defense. They have also struggled lately with giving up big plays and will need to limit them against Ole Miss.

The Rebels will look to continue to climb in the NCAA College Football Standings as they come into their game with Auburn favored by 4 1/2 according to BetUS sportsbook. The over/under is set at 49 1/2.

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