Auburn 35, Mississippi 31
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 1, 2014
Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
Temperature:
50°
Head Official:
Ken Williamson
Attendance:
62090
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 4 Auburn 35, No. 9 Mississippi 31: Nick Marshall accounted for four touchdowns and the visiting Tigers forced two late fumbles - including one at the goal line - to preserve a thrilling SEC victory.
In a matchup between half of the teams that made up the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings, the Tigers and Rebels went back and forth throughout the night before Auburn (7-1, 4-1) prevailed despite some stressful moments late. Marshall finished with 254 passing yards and two scores and added two touchdowns on the ground, while Cameron Artis-Payne contributed 143 rushing yards and a score for the Tigers.
The key play came with 1:30 left when Mississippi receiver Laquon Treadwell was dragged down from behind just as he was about to cross the goal line - a play that was originally called a touchdown on the field. Treadwell fractured his leg on the tackle, and the play was reviewed and ruled a fumble recovered in the end zone by Auburn.
Marshall's 57-yard bomb to a double-covered Sammie Coates forged a 14-14 tie with 1:24 left in the first half, but Ole Miss (7-2, 4-2) rallied down the field in time for Gary Wunderlich's 47-yard field goal to end the half. A 20-yard punt by the Tigers set up the Rebels with great field position early in the third quarter, and Evan Engram promptly made them pay with a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown grab from Bo Wallace for a 24-14 advantage.
Marshall accounted for the next two scores - a 2-yard run and a 17-yard pass to Marcus Davis - as Auburn took a 28-24 late in the third, but Wallace's 3-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter tilted the scoreboard back in the Rebels' favor. The Tigers promptly answered with a 75-yard drive, capped by Artis-Payne's 6-yard TD with 10:23 to go, and Mississippi squandered its first chance to retake the lead with 6:31 left when Wallace fumbled inside the Auburn 10.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wallace was 28-of-40 for 341 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had a team-high 56 rushing yards and a score on the ground. ... Auburn committed 10 penalties in the first half and finished with 13 penalties for 145 yards. ... Coates finished with five catches for a game-high 122 yards, while the Rebels had three players go over 100 yards receiving - Engram (eight catches, 123 yards), Vince Sanders (six for 105 yards) and Treadwell (10 for 103).
Top Game Performances
Receiving
Auburn |
|
Mississippi |
Sammie Coates
| Player |
Evan Engram
|
5 |
Receptions |
8 |
122 |
Yards |
123 |
24.4 |
Avg Yards |
15.4 |
1 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Auburn
|
502 |
248 |
254 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
4.0 |
2 |
Mississippi
|
492 |
151 |
341 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0.0 |
0 |