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Marshall, Auburn knock off No. 24 Ole Miss

Oct 6, 2013 - 5:29 AM Auburn, AL (SportsNetwork.com) - Nick Marshall ran circles around the Ole Miss defense, with the Auburn quarterback scrambling for 140 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers outplayed the No. 24 Rebels in a 30-22 victory on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Marshall also completed 11-of-17 passes for 93 yards, but was aided tremendously by an outstanding effort from the Auburn defense, which had a pair of interceptions -- one returned for a touchdown -- and six sacks on the evening.

"Obviously this was a very big win against a good team on our home field," said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. "I am very proud of our defense, especially in the fourth quarter."

Tre Mason rushed for 77 yards and a score on 21 carries and also hauled in three passes for 62 yards in the win for the Tigers (4-1, 2-1 SEC), who looked rejuvenated coming off their bye week following a loss to LSU.

Ole Miss (3-2, 1-2), which was shut out last week by top-ranked Alabama, sputtered offensively for the second straight game. The Rebels managed just six first-half points, their receivers combined for six drops and the team finished 5-for-19 on third downs for the game.

Bo Wallace had a difficult time under center, matching two touchdowns with two bad interceptions. He ended 25-of-48 passing for 336 yards in the setback, while Donte Moncrief caught both his touchdowns and had 122 yards receiving.

"We are a beat up football team," said Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze. "We have some guys that are hurt and hopefully we can get them back and get them healthy. We look forward to going home."

Marshall's second score near the 6 1/2 minute mark of the third quarter created a 27-9 lead for Auburn, which seemed poised to run away with it, especially after forcing Ole Miss to settle for a 22-yard Andrew Ritter field goal on its first touch of the quarter.

Wallace, though, finally got the Rebels into the end zone on the ensuing possession by firing a 49-yard touchdown pass to Moncrief to reduce the team's deficit to 27-16.

The Ole Miss quarterback had a chance to make it a one-score game early in the fourth after his defense recovered a fumble, but he was sacked twice and the Rebels were forced to punt. The Rebels got another chance, however, and Moncrief capitalized when he fought his way into the end zone on a 13-yard completion to make it a one-score game.

Auburn received its only real scare of the night when running back Cameron Artis-Payne fumbled at the end of an 18-yard run. Ole Miss recovered, but the Tigers got the ball back when Ryan Smith intercepted Wallace at the 50-yard line.

After an exchange of punts, Cody Parkey kicked a 23-yard field goal through with 3:02 left in the game, staking Auburn to a 30-22 lead. The Tigers defense then got the stop it needed, sacking Wallace on Ole Miss' final two plays to seal the win.

Auburn traveled 80 yards in six plays on its first series of the game, as Mason hauled in a 29-yard pass early in the march to set up his 1-yard touchdown plunge. The team faked the extra point, though, and failed.

The Rebels responded with a field goal on the ensuing drive, with a 21-yard scamper from Barry Brunetti helping to set up a 42-yard kick for Ritter.

Wallace had Ole Miss driving again toward the end of the first, but the drive stalled at the Auburn 21 when Robenson Therezie picked off a pass and rumbled 78 yards the other way for a touchdown and a 13-3 Tigers lead.

Auburn continued to pad its advantage in the second, as Marshall led a 12-play drive with 61 rushing yards on four quarterback keepers. The Tigers converted three third downs on the march before Marshall scored on a 5-yard rush to open a 17-point edge for the hosts with 5:17 to play in the half.

Ole Miss made it a two-score game again on its last possession before the break, as it moved 48 yards into range for Ritter's 44-yard field goal that made it 20-6.

Game Notes

Auburn linebacker Cassanova McKinzy suffered an apparent neck injury on the last play of the first quarter. He had to be carted off, but later returned to the sideline wearing a brace ... Jeff Scott rushed for 66 yards on six carries for Ole Miss.