Sports - Colleges - Ole Miss

Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Ole Miss faces stern test at Auburn

If you’re looking for one critical difference in the Ole Miss Rebels’ performance, you might start with the offensive line.

“They’re getting better every single week,” Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead said, “and so is our offense as a whole. I’m really excited about those guys and the improvement they’ve been making.”

The No. 24 Rebels will be tested on the road when Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2 in the SEC) faces Auburn (4-3, 2-3) at 11:20 a.m. today at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Ole Miss is coming off its best game of the season, a 30-17 thrashing of Arkansas in Oxford.

The Rebels haven’t won at Jordan-Hare since 2003, Eli Manning’s senior year.

“Our guys in the trenches, I’m really proud of their play,” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. “We are really going to build on that. We have to get better in the red zone, offensively. Especially inside the 5. We have to get that corrected.”

Ole Miss is looking for its third straight victory while the Tigers are trying to avoid their fourth consecutive defeat. Auburn fell apart last week at LSU, losing 31-10 to the ninth-ranked Tigers in Baton Rouge.

The Rebels racked up 553 yards total offense against Arkansas, with senior wide receiver/tailback Dexter McCluster turning in his strongest performance of the season. McCluster had 123 yards rushing and another 173 yards receiving and was effective in the “Wild Rebel” formation. Snead, meanwhile, passed for a career-high 322 yards. Nutt is pleased with the improvement of left tackle Bradley Sowell.