Ole Miss loses 41-23
Published 12:01 am Sunday, October 30, 2011
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Clint Moseley threw his first four career touchdown passes and Mike Dyer rushed for 177 yards to lift Auburn to a 41-23 win over Mississippi on Saturday night.
The Tigers (6-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to break a halftime deadlock and go up 31-17 in a matchup of the league’s two bottom-dwelling defenses.
The Rebels (2-6, 0-5) have now dropped 11 straight league games, adding to their longest string since joining the SEC in 1933. They had rallied to send it into halftime tied at 17-17.
Moseley completed 12 of 15 passes for 160 yards in his second career start after debuting in a blowout loss at No. 1 LSU last weekend. The Tigers had managed just 10 passing touchdowns in the first eight games.
They got a boost from the return of leading receiver Emory Blake, who missed the last three games with an ankle injury. He had five catches for 71 yards and a 25-yard touchdown.
Tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen caught two touchdown passes, including a one-handed snare late in the game.
Auburn has won nine of the last 11 meetings with the Rebels, who couldn’t follow up a strong performance in a 29-24 loss to No. 8 Arkansas.
The Tigers dominated the third quarter with a 141-22 advantage in total yards. The Rebels gained only 42 yards after halftime before two final drives deep into Auburn territory in the closing 5 minutes.
Ole Miss finished with Randall Mackey’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Nickolas Brassell on the final play.
Dyer, who had 27 carries, gained 115 yards in the second half after failing to reach 100 in the previous two games.
Moseley got the Tigers going with two first quarter touchdown passes, including a 45-yarder to Quindarius Carr to make it 14-0. He sparked them again in the third after a Rebels comeback.
The sophomore hit an open Blake in the end zone for the touchdown on a third-and-8 play midway through the quarter. Then Dyer set up his own 4-yard touchdown with a 48-yard scamper down the right sideline and added a field goal early in the fourth.
Lutzenkirchen, who came in tied for fifth nationally among current tight ends with 10 TD catches, had an early 13-yarder and then added a more highlight-worthy 4-yarder.
He almost nonchalantly reached his right hand back for the ball on his way to the end zone.
Randall Mackey was 15-of-27 passing for 157 yards with an interception on a badly underthrown ball downfield. He got 64 of those yards on the final two drives.
The nation’s No. 107 rushing attack had a big night. Brandon Bolden ran 13 times for 114 yards and two 1-yard touchdowns and Jeff Scott carried 14 times for 78 yards. The Rebels gained 220 yards on the ground, more than double their season average (108).
Auburn racked up 254 yards rushing.