The 4-2-5 Report: Grass isn’t greener on the Plains

This season, following each game the 4-2-5 report will give an in depth look at the game, laying out the 4 best plays, the 2 players of the game and 5 interesting stats.

The Ole Miss social media world should receive a nomination for player of the week this week as their level of petty was icing on the cake after Ole Miss went on the road and defeated Auburn.

First there was Auburn tweeting out a picture of Lane Kiffin and Hugh Freeze saying “Coach Freeze and a fan,” that they ended up deleting. That was only topped by the Ole Miss Football account asking them why they deleted it.

Then there was the Juice Kiffin account calling out Austin Keys and his “grass is greener” comment when he transferred, only to have Keys try and play along by offering him a bribe to take it down before Coach Kiffin responded by telling Keys that Juice can’t be bought and good luck rest of the season.

Of course, I could not help myself by tweeting, “And the Auburn fans get exactly what they wanted seeing Lane Kiffin wins games inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.” That was met by a weary Ole Miss fan scared of Auburn Jesus. But let’s be honest, Auburn Jesus vacated campus when Reverend Hugh Freeze was hired.

4 Plays of the Game

3rd and 3, 29 yard pass to Tre Harris

The passing game never really got going for Dart and the Rebels, granted they only threw the ball 17 times. Ole Miss was backed up to their own 17 yard line in a 14-14 contest late in the third quarter. For whatever reason, Ole Miss just has not been good on third down lately, but Dart came through with a strike to Tre Harris to convert, on their way to a 21-14 lead later in the drive.

4th and 1, 29 yard TD run by Jaxson Dart

Since the LSU game, the short pitch has become a staple of the Ole Miss offense due to its insanely high rate of success. With it comes the play action but also the ability for Dart to fake and keep. On the drive immediately following Auburn’s touchdown, the Rebels were facing a 4th and 1 on the Auburn 29. Dart faked the pitch Judkins and ran it up the gut to the endzone untouched. The Ole Miss social team even took their shot at Auburn on this play:

2nd and 10, Daijahn Anthony tackle for 9 yard loss

Of course a big play by the Rebel defense was made by Daijahn Anthony. With Auburn starting at midfield, the Rebels needed a big stop to prevent the Tigers from taking the lead. Hugh Freeze thought he would get cute and call the Laquon Treadwell pass play, only for Anthony to blow it up for a nine yard loss. Auburn ended that drive in a punt and Ole Miss drove down the field to take the lead on the ensuing possession.

3rd and 7, 11 yard TD pass from Dart to Franklin

On the road in the SEC, nothing is promised. But Ole Miss is undefeated when they score first this season and coming away with a touchdown on the first drive was massive for the Rebs. Even more important was that it was a third down conversion, another struggle for Ole Miss. The NCAA leader in receiving touchdowns and receptions notched his first TD as a Rebel on this 11 yard easy pitch and catch from Dart.

2 Players of the Game

Quinshon Judkins

The Rebel offense was led by the three-headed rushing attack of Quinshon Judkins, Ulysses Bentley IV and Jaxson Dart, running it 56 times compared to 17 pass plays. Judkins looked like the top running back in the country that he is. He finished the day with 21 carries for 124 yards and a touchdown.

Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste

The UCF transfer had his best game as a Rebel on his way to 7 tackles, six of them being solo tackles. The Rebel defense has held SEC opponents under 300 yards in back to back weeks for the first time in 14 years and Jean-Baptiste was a major reason for that against Auburn.

5 Interesting Stats

2- John Saunders Jr. and Zamari Walton both picked off their 2nd passes of the season and their Ole Miss career. Ole Miss is also 2-0 against former head coach Hugh Freeze and have won 2 straight against Auburn for the first time in over 70 years.

3- Jaxson Dart threw just his 3rd interception on the season while Quinshon Judkins is now tied for 3rd all-time at Ole Miss with his 10th career 100 yard rushing effort. Ole Miss is also 6-1 for the 3rd straight season.

5- Ole Miss is now 5-0 when they score first in a contest. Quinshon Judkins moved to 5th in Ole Miss history with his 23rd rushing touchdown of his career. Fraser Masin had 5 punts on the day, his most of the season, tied for second most in his Ole Miss career.

14 - In both career contest against Auburn, Dart has ran the ball 14 times. He has 28 rushes compared to 19 completed passes in the two games.

63 - Caden Prieskorn had 63 yards receiving on 2 catches. That is the most yards by a tight end since the Auburn game in 2021, in which Casey Kelly had 81.