OXFORD, Miss. -- JaTarvious Whitlow rushed for 170 yards on 19 carries as Auburn scored on three consecutive touchdown drives to open the third quarter Saturday and defeat Ole Miss, 31-16.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Tigers (5-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference), who broke open a 10-6 halftime lead with the second-half surge. Auburn rolled up 484 yards in total offense in a turnover-free performance.
The Tigers put together scoring drives of 68, 75 and 62 yards to build a 31-9 cushion that was never seriously threatened. Anthony Schwartz recovered a fumble in the end zone after a 54-yard run by Whitlow while Malik Miller capped drives with scoring runs of 1 and 2 yards.
Whitlow added a touchdown reception of 3 yards from Jarrett Stidham and Anders Carlson converted a 28-yard field goal to build the halftime lead.
Stidham finished 13-of-22 passing for 215 yards.
Ole Miss (5-3, 1-3) moved the ball, accounting for 447 yards in total offense, but settled for three field goals on three tries in the red zone. Luke Logan converted field goals of 36, 37 and 35 yards, respectively.
Jordan Ta'amu was 27 of 46 for 324 yards with a 12-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown in the final period after Auburn had built an insurmountable lead. Brown finished with 10 receptions for 155 yards.
Defensively, the Tigers were brilliant when the game was still in doubt, limiting Ole Miss to field goals and forcing the ball over on downs twice. Deshaun Davis had 13 tackles, Nick Coe added three sacks and Marlon Davidson blocked a field-goal attempt.
The Tigers face three ranked teams, including archrival No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0) in November, but the inspired performance should turn down the volume temporarily on Gus Malzahn's job status. The Tigers need one win to become bowl eligible.
The Rebels moved the ball effectively, but failure to reach the end zone in three quarters prevented keeping pace with Auburn. The offense performed unevenly after last week's season-ending injury to deep-threat receiver D. K. Metcalf. The defensive unit was unable to get a stop during the crucial third quarter and finished without forcing a turnover.
Auburn gets an open date this week before hosting No. 17 Texas A&M (5-2, 3-1). Ole Miss also has an open date this week and will host South Carolina (3-3, 2-3) on Nov. 3.
Sports on 10/21/2018