No. 13 Mississippi holds off upset-minded Auburn

Jaxson Dart threw for 202 yards and rushed for two touchdowns Saturday night as No. 13 Ole Miss pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 28-21 Southeastern Conference win over Auburn in Auburn, Ala.

Dart snapped a 14-14 tie on the last play of the third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run, capping an 89-yard drive. On their next possession, the Rebels (6-1, 3-1) marched 68 yards and took just over five minutes off the clock before Quinshon Judkins powered up the middle for a 4-yard scoring run with 7:51 left in the game.

The Tigers (3-4, 0-4) got within a touchdown with 56 seconds remaining when Payton Thorne found Rivaldo Fairweather with an 8-yard touchdown pass. However, Dayton Wade recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the outcome and give Ole Miss just its second win in its last 10 visits to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Judkins rushed for a game-high 124 yards on 21 carries for the Rebels, who outgained Auburn 425 to 275 and owned an advantage of just over eight minutes in time of possession. Tre Harris caught four passes for 102 yards.

The Tigers rotated Thorne and Robbie Ashford at quarterback but neither could consistently move a struggling offense. Thorne was 9-of-13 for 100 yards with an interception, while Ashford completed 3 of 4 attempts for 22 yards with an interception.

Ole Miss initiated scoring at the 4:55 mark of the first quarter when Dart, who finished 10-of-17, hit Zakhari Franklin with an 11-yard touchdown pass. Auburn tied it less than two minutes later when Jarquez Hunter ripped off a 53-yard scoring jaunt.

Dart restored a seven-point lead for the Rebels when he kept it on a fourth-and-1 play and zipped 29 yards with 24 seconds left in the period. But his interception on Ole Miss’ next possession gave the Tigers a 24-yard field that they cashed in with Hunter’s 1-yard touchdown run 11:44 before halftime, evening the score at 14.

–Field Level Media