For more than two quarters in Oxford, the scoreboard told a story few expected. A heavy underdog trailed No. 12 Ole Miss 17-15 midway through the third quarter, still within a single score. Then, the afternoon turned in a matter of minutes, and the visitors never scored again.
Twenty-eight straight Rebels points later, a one-possession game had become a 45-15 rout. Auburn finished with a season-low 63 rushing yards, eight penalties for 67 yards, and still has not scored on an opening drive this season. The loss dropped the Tigers to 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the SEC, and their first-year coach did not hide from any of it afterward.
“I thought [there was] a lack of finish, and that was the first time that I’ve seen that out of this team this year. That’s as disappointing as anything, and I’ve got to figure that piece out. That’s the part that’s making me sick is the lack of finish. Obviously, the plan is to win. The goal is to win. The lack of finish, and I thought play-to-play lack of finish. I thought drive-to-drive lack of finish, which is the part I’m most disappointed with,”head coach Alex Golesh said on a Post Ole Miss Press Conference on 1 November.…