Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo was superb last Saturday in leading Ole Miss to a 52-28 victory over Vanderbilt in Nashville.
Mingo will look for another strong performance Saturday when the No. 9 Rebels host struggling Auburn in Southeastern Conference action in Oxford, Miss.
Against the Commodores, Mingo totaled a school-record 247 yards receiving on nine receptions — two for scores — breaking the mark held by former teammate Elijah Moore. Two years ago, Moore established the record, also at Vanderbilt.
The conference’s leading receiver with 507 yards this season, Mingo earned SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his play in Ole Miss’ comeback win over Vanderbilt. He shared the award with high school teammate Will Rogers, the quarterback at rival Mississippi State.
“I think that’s really cool for a guy that’s been here a long time and never complains about catches or playing time,” said Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, whose squad outscored Vanderbilt 35-8 over the last 30:21 of game time. “It’s awesome to use those stories (for) guys to understand there’s something to be said for working hard and doing the little things.”
Ole Miss (6-0, 2-0) hasn’t won in the series since its 27-19 road victory in 2015. Its last home win was 41-20 in 2012 — one of the Rebels’ 33 vacated victories from 2010 to 2016. Auburn is 13-2 in Oxford.
Auburn (3-3, 1-2) leads the SEC rivalry 35-10 and has six straight wins, though the 2022 season has been torturous for second-year coach Bryan Harsin, who finds himself parked on the hot seat after every loss.
After suffering a 42-10 thrashing at then-No. 2 Georgia last week, Harsin will need to master the tempo against the Rebels’ fast-break offense.
“For Ole Miss, they go fast — they’re not going to talk about time of possession,” he said. “For us, it’s just about execution and staying on the field. We need to sustain drives.”
Last season’s 31-20 win by then-No. 18 Auburn over No. 10 Ole Miss on Halloween weekend was a high point for the Tigers and a low one for the Rebels.
Both schools owned a 6-2 slate following that game, but Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral get injured. Meanwhile, upon rising to No. 12 in the polls, Auburn lost five straight to close Harsin’s inaugural season.
This year has continued the descent for the Tigers, who have been outscored 77-47 in the second half.
With No. 1 passer T.J. Finley out with a sprain in his throwing shoulder, Robby Ashford is 59-for-123 for 874 yards with four touchdowns vs. three interceptions. Ashford, who transferred in from Oregon with four years of eligibility remaining, has rushed for 275 yards on 59 carries with a score; he has been sacked eight times and has fumbled seven times.
The Tigers opened as a 13-1/2 point underdog for Saturday’s contest — their largest margin in the series since 2001, when Ole Miss was a two-touchdown favorite but lost 27-21 at Auburn.
–Field Level Media
