OXFORD, Miss. – From a tackle for loss on the game's first play to an interception on its last, and a must-have three-and-out in crunch time, Auburn's defense delivered when it had to Saturday in the Tigers' 35-28 win at Ole Miss.
Trailing 28-27 with 4:50 to play, Auburn held the Rebels to 5 yards on three plays, forcing a punt that positioned the Tigers to drive 80 yards for the game-winning score.
"We've got to keep fighting," said linebacker Owen Pappoe, who led Auburn with 14 tackles including nine solos. "Play Auburn football and keep fighting, no matter how hard it gets, just don't give up, and keep them out of the end zone."
"They had a short field, our defense held and got the ball back," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "When the game was on the line, they did it again. They responded when they had to. They picked each other up."
After Auburn scored to go ahead 35-28, the Rebels had a final opportunity for a game-tying drive, advancing to the Tigers' 29-yard line before Jordyn Peters secured victory for the visitors with his first career interception on the game's final play.Jordyn Peters made his first career interception on the final play in Auburn's 35-28 victory
Roger McCreary made two tackles for loss and an interception in the end zone, preventing the Rebels from taking an early lead on their second drive.
"He tried to house call it and got caught at the 5," Malzahn said. "He returned one 100 yards earlier in the year, so he was thinking score. He had a really good day."
McCreary made another impact play in the third quarter, tackling Ole Miss kicker Luke Logan for a 4-yard loss on a fake field goal.
"The fake field goal was just a great play," said Malzahn, crediting assistant coach Travis Williams for his efforts in preparing Auburn's field goal block unit.
McCreary wasn't finished. On the possession before Auburn's game-winning drive, he tackled quarterback John Rhys Plumlee for a 5-yard loss that led to a third-and-15.
The Tigers held the Rebels to a touchdown less than their 36.5-point average.
"I think we did pretty well," Pappoe said. "It wasn't perfect, but I think we played really solid."
Auburn set the tone early, with Christian Tutt and Colby Wooden combining for a tackle for loss on the Rebels' first play from scrimmage.
Smoke Monday made a career-high 12 tackles, including a third-down sack that forced a punt at the end of the third quarter with the scored tied 21-21. Fellow safety Jamien Sherwood added 11 tackles, including nine solos. Tutt added a career-high eight tackles.
"A lot of times it's how you win," Malzahn said. "It was a true team win today, something we'll build upon."
After back-to-back road games, the Tigers return to Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday vs LSU at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
"Being at home is a big advantage for us," Pappoe said. "We're looking forward to this game It's SEC ball. Any game, any week is going to come down to the last second. You've got to play every week hard."Owen Pappoe led Auburn with 14 tackles at Ole Miss
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer