Auburn football finds life on offense but can't hang with Ole Miss in shootout loss

OXFORD, Miss. — The Auburn football offense that fans had become accustomed to didn't make the trip to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The Auburn defense that fans had become accustomed to didn't, either.

Tank Bigsby brushed off tacklers and galloped through holes. Robby Ashford put his dynamic athleticism on display. Well into the fourth quarter, the Tigers, against all odds, found themselves in a shootout with No. 9 Ole Miss. But Auburn's rally from a three-touchdown deficit in the first quarter Saturday fell short as the Rebels rolled to 580 yards of offense in a 48-34 victory over the Tigers.

A resurgent offense gave the Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) a chance to knock off an unbeaten team on the road, but a defense that had kept them competitive all season had no answer for Ole Miss's powerful rushing game. As a result, Bryan Harsin heads into a bye week with his job status still in question.

Tigers' rushing attack comes out of nowhere

Auburn's first play of the game shouldn't have worked. Tank Bigsby runs up the middle haven't worked for weeks. But the junior tailback burst through a hole and gained 11 yards. The Tigers ran Bigsby again to start their second drive and he picked up 12.

Bigsby, whose previous high against a Power 5 opponent this season was 45 yards, ran for 71 — in the first half. He surpassed that again on his first carry of the second half, stepping over a leg tackle and rumbling 50 yards to the house to cut the Rebels' lead to 28-24. Bigsby's 179 yards were just 19 shy of what he accumulated in his five previous games combined.

Auburn ran for 301 yards and four touchdowns on 48 carries, especially shocking considering the Tigers' depleted offensive line was even more depleted. Right guard Alec Jackson and right tackle Austin Troxell did not play after suffering injuries against Georgia. The configuration of Killian Zierer, Jeremiah Wright, Brandon Council, Kameron Stutts and Brenden Coffey more than held up to Ole Miss's strong defensive front.

Auburn's quarterback battle opens ... and closes quickly

On Auburn's fourth possession, with Ashford and company scuffling, Harsin subbed TJ Finley in at quarterback. Finley, who was in uniform for the first time in three weeks, played one series without attempting a pass and lost a fumble.

Usually, when a backup quarterback comes in the game, it's meant to provide a spark. That's what happened when Finley replaced Ashford, but with a twist: Ashford was the one who received the spark.

Ashford, who had already been intercepted and nearly lost a fumble, came back in after Finley's lone series and appeared much more confident and settled down. He converted two third-and-longs, scrambling to his left to hit Koy Moore for a 46-yard gain and firing a 19-yard slant to Omari Kelly, and kept a zone read to cap off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown.

Ashford made strong, accurate throws no matter if he was off-balance or throwing from a stable platform. In addition, he converted a key third down with his legs and scored on a short touchdown run to bring Auburn within 38-31 in the third quarter. But he was picked off to end the Tigers' last-ditch possession down 14.

BALANCED OFFENSE:Can Auburn football find its offensive identity under Bryan Harsin?

QB BATTLE:TJ Finley replaces Robby Ashford during the first quarter of Auburn-Ole Miss

Auburn can't stop Ole Miss on the ground

The Rebels (7-0, 3-0) were always likely to hurt Auburn in the running game. That doesn't mean giving up 449 yards on 68 carries can be washed away.

When Quinshon Judkins raced 40 yards to the end zone to make it a two-score game with six minutes to play, he wasn't touched. Part of the reason why: the Tigers were in their normal defensive front with four defensive linemen and two linebackers, instead of stacking the box on third-and-1.

Outside of a fourth-and-1 stop on Ole Miss's first drive, Auburn put up almost no resistance. Three Rebels — Judkins, Zach Evans and Jaxson Dart — gained at least 100 yards. The last time the Tigers gave up 400 yards on the ground was seven years ago, when LSU rolled up 411 in a 45-21 victory.

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com, by phone at 334-201-9117 and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football finds life, can't hang with Ole Miss in shootout loss