Auburn shows heart in win over Ole Miss

AUBURN — Sometimes, the will to win overrides a lack of talent.

Sometimes, when things begin spiraling downward, a team must suck it up and take back control.

And sometimes, a little luck is needed.

Auburn experienced all of the above in its dearly needed 33-20 win over Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon.

There were certainly times Auburn could have gotten down on itself in the early going when the ball didn’t bounce its way.

A bone-crushing hit by Auburn’s Chris Humphries on the opening kickoff jarred the ball free for three Tigers’ to pounce on, but somehow it squirted away until a Rebel recovered.

Ole Miss then jammed it down the Tigers’ throats for a 94-yard opening touchdown drive.

Here we go again.

But on this gloomy day at Jordan-Hare Stadium, one could just sense nobody wearing the orange and blue was going to flinch when things got tough.

Not this time. Not after three straight losses had given people justifiable reason to write off this edition of the Auburn football team.

When Zac Etheridge, the best player in the Tiger secondary, was carted off the field after injuring his neck in the first quarter, the defense dug in that much stronger.

When linebacker Josh Bynes and safety Darren Bates let interception opportunities slip through their fingers, they stayed focused.

When Ben Tate was stuffed for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play in the first quarter, the offense simply went back to work when it returned to the field.

As the game wore on, good things began to happen for a team overdue for a few breaks.

Walter McFadden received a gift when the ball popped up off the fingers of a diving Ole Miss receiver and into the hands of the alert cornerback. McFadden took it in for a touchdown, and Auburn led 24-7 early in the third.

And after Ole Miss cut a 24-point Auburn lead to 31-20 quicker than the Road Runner escapes Wyle E. Coyote, Auburn took advantage of another break when it blocked an extra point try and Demond Washington picked it up for Auburn and went the distance for a 2-point gift.

The score stood 33-20 after Washington’s return with still six minutes left in the third quarter.

There was no reason to believe that’s where the score would stand when the final whistle blew, but sure enough it did.

Auburn wasn’t going to wilt on this day — not with guys like Antonio Coleman playing like a beast from his defensive end post, Terrell Zachery positioning himself for a couple of huge catches and Ben Tate running the ball like a bull.

That’s not to say everything is fixed, but there were positive signs this Auburn offense can succeed against a quality defense. The Tiger defense also showed it can still make big plays and play winning football in the fourth quarter.

Without a doubt, we learned this is a close-knit team fighting with every ounce of energy it has.

On Saturday, the work was rewarded.