Bo Nix didn’t need to be a magician for Auburn to win.
Auburn didn’t need divine intervention from the holy power of Pat Dye that inspirits Jordan-Hare Stadium on these Saturday nights in the fall.
The potent offense of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Matt Corral, again and again and again, was punched in the face by a resilient Auburn defense that refused to be broken.
With a curious November ahead, and an October of steady gains behind it, this Auburn football team is tough and getting tougher.
Beware, Alabama. This Iron Bowl is shaping up to be another violent dance for first place in the SEC West.
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Jordan-Hare swayed and danced in the final moments of the game, which was Auburn’s first victory against a Top 10 opponent since that frantic 2019 Iron Bowl. For new coach Bryan Harsin, who took a victory lap through the Auburn student section after his team’s 31-20 bruising of No.10 Ole Miss, it was his first signature win, and it came in the same month that Auburn won in Death Valley for the first time since 1999.
There is so much to love about Auburn amid its first season under Harsin, and not just the Tigers’ place in the SEC West standings.
There is so much for which to be hopeful, too, and yet still so much left unanswered with a coach who, bizarrely, won’t talk about his vaccination status despite his university requiring vaccines for COVID-19 by Dec. 8 or else. Auburn is in position to win the SEC West with Texas A&M, Mississippi State, South Carolina and, finally, Alabama left on the schedule.
It’s going to be a strange November. It was an October of improvement for Auburn like we saw nowhere else in the SEC, and it was all on display against Ole Miss.
The No.18 Tigers built a lead against a top 10 team in the first half, and then Auburn’s defense turned in a vintage performance in the second half worthy of those beautiful orange facemasks.
There were no tricks, and no gimmicks and now there is no doubt about it. The Tigers are the most impressive team in the SEC outside of Alabama and Georgia.
How far away is Auburn from Alabama? Not much, it seems, and consider that perspective after what we saw at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 25. Cheating death against Georgia State feels like so long ago.
Since then Auburn has won on the road twice against two quality SEC West opponents, including everyone’s early-season favorite for most-improved team, Arkansas. Auburn was undone but Georgia, but, in hindsight, it was better than any other team played against the Bulldogs.
Tank Bigsby remains the only running back this season to rush for a score against Georgia’s defense. On Saturday, Georgia clobbered rival Florida 34-7.
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If this latest test was a proving ground for Auburn’s steady growth, then consider the final stat line for Bigsby: 23 carries for 140 yards and one brilliant touchdown leap that injected old Auburn fans with a shot of nostalgia. Tank Over The Top gave Auburn a 13-3 lead in the first quarter, and then Tank’s angry runs late in the game sealed the victory.
The real star of the game was Auburn’s defense, though. It held firm when Auburn absolutely needed it, which was again and again again.
After the muffed punt.
The red zone turnover on downs.
The interception in the end zone.
The final, critical stop after Auburn receiver Kobe Hudson fumbled late in the fourth quarter.
Consider this statistic for proof of Auburn’s toughness. In its three victories against SEC West opponents, the Tigers have outscored LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss 27-0 in fourth quarters.
“It’s a lot of effort and focus,” Harsin said.
With a new coach and new ideas, Auburn played with a confidence and sharpness shared by only a few teams in the SEC this season. The confidence of Auburn quarterback Bo Nix might be Harsin’s greatest achievement. Unlocking this talent inside of Nix felt so far away this time last year. Now? He was better than Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, who was being hyped for the Heisman entering the game.
It was Corral with the critical error in the fourth quarter, and it was Nix icing the game in the end.
No magic needed. Just a new version of an old quarterback who already knows how to beat Alabama.
Auburn showed what it can be in October, and this new coach, one way or another, will shine an even brighter light on his future in November.
Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr. His first book, “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’,” will be released on Nov.9.
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Auburn shows what it can be, but there is still much to prove - AL.com
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