Video: Ole Miss Drops Third Straight Versus #15 Auburn

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Kamryn Pettway ran for a career-high 236 yards and a touchdown, Sean White added 247 yards passing and No. 15 Auburn beat Mississippi 40-29 on Saturday night.

Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly threw for a school-record 465 yards, beating Archie Manning’s previous mark of 436 yards set in 1969. Kelly also threw three touchdowns and one interception.

But the Rebels couldn’t keep up with Auburn, which finished with 554 total yards. The Tigers once again gave a heavy workload to Pettway, a sophomore who responded by smashing through the Ole Miss defense with his 240-pound body time after time.

Auburn (6-2, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) won its fifth straight. Ole Miss (3-5, 1-4) lost its third in a row.

It was an entertaining, back-and-forth game that featured plenty of offense – especially in the first half. Ole Miss took a 22-20 lead into the locker room.

Ole Miss had its chances in the second half, but once again blew a halftime lead. The Rebels have five losses this season despite never trailing at the break.

The backbreaker for Ole Miss was midway through the fourth quarter when a wide-open Evan Engram dropped what would have almost certainly been a go-ahead touchdown. On the very next play, Kelly threw his only interception of the night and Auburn returned it to the Ole Miss 25.

Three plays later, Kerryon Johnson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run and Auburn stretched its lead to 40-29.

THE TAKEAWAY

Auburn: The Tigers continued their impressive run despite looking a little shaky on defense. Auburn’s running game has been absolutely dominant and the Tigers now have three winnable games against Vanderbilt, Georgia and Alabama A&M before what could be a very interesting Iron Bowl showdown against Alabama.

Ole Miss: The Rebels’ season continues to turn sour. Two months ago, Ole Miss thought it might have a chance to win the SEC’s Western Division. Now the Rebels might struggle to qualify for a bowl game.

UP NEXT

Auburn: The Tigers host Vanderbilt next weekend.

Ole Miss: The Rebels host Georgia Southern next weekend.