Auburn Football: Game-by-game predictions for Tigers in 2018
Matt Luke is in full control after the Hugh Freeze debacle put a damper on the 2017 season and caused a massive shake-up on the Rebels roster. The Rebels will host the Tigers for what is only Auburn’s second true away game in the 2018 season. Ole Miss will be sitting around 4-3 by this point in the season while Auburn is rolling in undefeated and confident.
The Rebels finished 2017 with the 9th-best offense in college football per the S&P+, and offensive coordinator Phil Longo has a solid reputation. Longo’s side of the field returns eight starters from a year ago and Jordan Ta’amu will be the starter moving forward with Shea Patterson up in Ann Arbor, MI. The Tigers will be tasked with slowing down wide receiver A.J. Brown who caught 75 passes for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago.
The Ole Miss defense, however, was putrid. The Rebels posted the 113th-ranked defense per the S&P+ and return only four starters from 2017. Defensive tackle Josiah Coatney returns after logging 65 tackles a year ago. The best area on the defense might be the defensive backs who return two starters and two reserves- both of which intercepted three passes last season.
Ole Miss is the S&P+’s 25th-ranked squad heading into the 2018 season but I see a 6-6 record in their future unless the defense drastically improves. Stidham, Davis and Kam Martin will be too much for the Rebels.