Auburn Football: 5 Reasons the Tigers beat the Rebels

2. The Auburn front seven will have a field day

In that aforementioned loss to Clemson, Auburn held Clemson and Kelly Bryant to two scores. That included four sacks and eight tackles for a loss, which was enough to keep the powerful Clemson offense at bay for most of the game. If Auburn can rise to the occasion against the toughest of opponents, they’ll have little trouble dispatching the Rebels.

Auburn ranks second in the SEC in tackles for a loss (39) and third in sacks (14). The Rebels, on the other hand have allowed the fourth most sacks (13) and average 5.8 tackles per loss allowed per game.

The Auburn defense is championship caliber. They can attack you from so many different angles. Nine different Tigers have been credited with at least half a sack so far this season. The team is led by junior linebacker Jeff Holland who has 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss.

Every level of the Auburn defense is dangerous, but getting past the front seven alone is going to be challenging for the Rebels. Auburn is not afraid to bring the pressure, and Ole Miss has proven to be susceptible to it once or twice before. Patterson won’t be as willing to look down field after he has to pull himself off the ground time and time again.