Retour
The Auburn Tigers, especially coming off a brutal loss to LSU last week, are looking to rebound in a strong way this weekend against Pete Golding’s Ole Miss Rebels. The odds are certainly not in the Tigers’ favor, as they’ve been given just a 25.1% chance to win, but Alex Golesh’s squad has already faced down worse odds and won this season.
However, the Rebels are not looking to make their Halloween matchup easy for the Tigers, and there are a few key offensive players who could make things spooky for the Tigers on Halloween afternoon.
There’s a reason DJ Durkin referred to Chambliss as one of, if not the single, best players in football earlier this week– the former Division II transfer has lit up the stat sheet over the years with highly effective passing complemented by a dangerous rushing threat. The sixth-year senior has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards this season already while tacking on a team-high six rushing touchdowns for good measure.
Without his star running back, Kewan Lacy, though, Chambliss may have to rely more on his own playmaking ability to lead the Rebels down the field, provided the Tigers can stop Lacy’s backup, Makhi Frazier. Chambliss is one of the premier playmakers in the sport, though, so it’ll be a difficult task for Durkin’s defense on Saturday.
With the aforementioned sidelining of Kewan Lacy, the brunt of the Rebels’ rushing attack will likely fall on Frazier, who has been no slouch over the course of the season so far, totaling 51 carries for 301 yards, good for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. However, he has yet to score a touchdown this season, an aspect the Tigers may be able to use to their advantage.
Stopping Frazier will come down to the play in the trenches, as the Tigers have struggled to contain backs throughout the season. DeSean Bishop rushed for over 200 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers, while Jadan Baugh rushed for over 160 and three touchdowns of his own. Will Frazier be the next on the list? That’ll be for Cody Sigler and company to decide.
No breakdown of the Rebels would be complete without Chambliss’ favorite target, the highly-regarded Deuce Alexander. The junior is in his second season with the Rebels after transferring from Wake Forest, and he’s been dominant all season, hauling in a team-high 43 receptions for 610 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 14.2 yards per reception.
The Tigers, on the other hand, struggled immensely against Sam Leavitt’s passing last week, and the Rebels will certainly be looking to take advantage. A strong showing from the Tigers’ secondary could slow down the Rebels quite a lot, but many still expect Alexander to pick up a touchdown at some point in the game.
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