Instant analysis: Auburn edges out Ole Miss in offensive shootout - AL.com

Tank Bigsby (4) reacts after first quarter touchdown during the game between Auburn and Ole Miss at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

The entirety of Auburn’s 35-28 win over Ole Miss was played out in the final two minutes when quarterback Bo Nix led the Tigers on a winning drive under pressure and Auburn’s defense made a last-second interception.

Auburn held Ole Miss’s high-powered offense to just 14 points in the first half.

However, it also scored 14 and started the second half in the same position it started the game: tied with Ole Miss.

By halftime, Auburn and Ole Miss had had similarly efficient offensive games while their defenses had both struggled to defend the run.

But a holding call negated it and forced Auburn to put together a drive.

The Ole Miss offense had moved fast enough all game that it could work with 1:11.

By the end of the first half, Auburn had 140 rushing yards, and all four rushers averaged five yards per carry or more.

He still averaged over five yards per carry and finished with 60 yards and a touchdown.

After an emotional game where Nix threw three interceptions and was caught arguing with his team on the bench, Nix rebounded and came out with more confidence against Ole Miss.

He kept the ball on multiple zone reads and picked up 38 rushing yards in the first half.

The weather limited the passing game, and Nix only passed for 60 yards in the first half.

Nix finished the game with 238 passing yards — going 23-30 — 52 rushing yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and the win.

Ole Miss demonstrated its fast-paced offense under Lane Kiffin.

However, Auburn’s defense had some key stops that allowed the Auburn offense to keep up with the Ole Miss one.

On Ole Miss’s second drive of the game, cornerback Roger McCreary made an interception in the end zone, not only preventing Ole Miss from scoring but also setting up a touchdown drive for Auburn.

Those plays made a difference in a game where Auburn’s defense otherwise matched Ole Miss’s defense.

They held the Ole Miss offense to 5.6 yards per play while Ole Miss held Auburn to 6 yards per play.

But until the last drive, Auburn was 4-4 in the red zone while Ole Miss was 3-5 — thanks to McCreary’s stops.

“Our defense, when they needed to, came through,” Malzahn said after the game