Mississippi @ Auburn preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 30, 2010 ) Auburn 51, Mississippi 31

THE STORY: Mississippi will look for its first SEC victory when it travels to Auburn on Saturday. The Rebels are coming off a 29-24 loss to No. 10 Arkansas. Ole Miss led 17-0 early in the second quarter, but the Razorbacks rallied to score 29 straight to give the Rebels their second consecutive defeat. Meanwhile, the Tigers are coming off a 45-10 blowout loss to the nation’s top-ranked team, LSU. All three of Auburn’s losses have come against teams that are ranked in the top 10. The Tigers lead the all-time series 26-9 and have won eight of the last 10 games against the Rebels. Last year, Auburn beat Ole Miss 51-31.

TV: ESPNU. LINE: Auburn -12.5.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI (2-5, 0-4 SEC West): Ole Miss, which has been outscored 204-144, has yet to find a rhythm on offense. Rebels quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (six) and rank 107th with 160 passing yards per game. On the ground, they haven’t fared much better. Jeff Scott leads Ole Miss with 394 yards and six touchdowns, but the team averages only 20 points. The Rebels, who have scored less than 14 points in four of their seven games, allow more than 220 rushing yards and 29 points on defense.

ABOUT AUBURN (5-3, 3-2): Michael Dyer has rushed for 812 yards and eight touchdowns for Auburn, which averages more than 180 yards on the ground. Quarterback Clint Moseley, who is making his second career start, threw for 145 yards and an interception in his last outing, but will have to be more efficient against a weaker Ole Miss opponent. Defensively, the Tigers allowed five touchdowns and failed to record a turnover in the loss to LSU. Auburn, which allows 403 yards and 28 points defensively, is 18-1 and has won 15 straight when intercepting a pass.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Auburn has won three in a row over Ole Miss at home and 12 of 14.

2. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt is 6-7 all-time against Auburn, including 1-2 with the Rebels.

3. The Tigers are 20-2 and have won 14 straight when leading at halftime under coach Gene Chizik.

PREDICTION: Auburn 38, Ole Miss 24 - Auburn’s rushing attack will be too much for Ole Miss and its 115th-ranked run defense.