Auburn–Ole Miss football rivalry explained

Wide:yes
Auburn–Ole Miss football rivalry
Team1:Auburn Tigers
Team1logo:Auburn Tigers logo.svg
Team2:Ole Miss Rebels
Team2logo:Ole Miss Rebels logo.svg
Firstmeeting:October 20, 1928
Ole Miss, 19–0
Mostrecent:October 21, 2023
Ole Miss, 28–21
Total:48
Series:Auburn leads, 35–12
Largestvictory:Auburn, 41–0 (1985)
Longeststreak:Auburn, 9 (1971–1991)
Currentstreak:Ole Miss, 2 (2022–present)

The Auburn–Ole Miss football rivalry is a college football rivalry[1] game between the Tigers of Auburn University and the Rebels of the University of Mississippi.

History

Both founding members of the Southeastern Conference, Auburn and Ole Miss first met on October 20, 1928, in Birmingham, Alabama with Ole Miss winning the game by a score of 19–0.[2] After a 14–7 Auburn victory in 1932, the teams didn't meet again until 1949, when the Rebels defeated the Tigers by a score of 40–7. They have met in two bowl games, with Ole Miss winning the 1965 Liberty Bowl by a margin of 13–7[3] and Auburn winning the 1971 Gator Bowl by a score of 35–28.[4] The Gator victory marked the beginning of the longest winning streak in the series, with Auburn winning nine straight between 1971 and 1991. Auburn and Ole Miss have met every year since 1990 and, with the SEC placing both Auburn and Ole Miss in the West division in 1992, the teams will continue to meet annually.[5]

The rivalry took a heated turn in 1999 when then-Ole Miss head coach Tommy Tuberville, after stating days prior that he would only leave Ole Miss "in a pine box", accepted the head coaching position at Auburn.[6] Shortly thereafter, some began to refer to the annual Auburn–Ole Miss football matchup as the Pine Box Bowl. In the first matchup between the squads after Tuberville's departure for Auburn, the Rebels defeated Auburn by a score of 24–17 in overtime.[7] Since the 1999 contest, Ole Miss has defeated Auburn only five times, the most recent of which came in the form of a 28–21 win in 2023.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What's in a rivalry? Tommy Tuberville returned to Ole Miss in Auburn colors and dueling backs put on show. October 27, 2016.
  2. Web site: Winsipedia – Auburn Tigers vs. Ole Miss Rebels football series history games list. Winsipedia.
  3. Web site: FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ole Miss – Auburn 1965. July 8, 2018. July 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180709064719/http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/103108aab.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Looking back: When Auburn's Pat Sullivan met Ole Miss' Archie Manning in the 1971 Gator Bowl. October 29, 2015.
  5. Web site: Southeastern Conference Will Split Into 2 Divisions, Presidents Decide. HOYT. HARWELL. November 29, 1990. LA Times.
  6. Web site: Ole Miss crushes former Rebels coach Tommy Tuberville with epic 'pine box' message. July 8, 2018. July 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180709035135/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/college/ole-miss-crushes-former-rebels-coach-tommy-tuberville-with-epic-pine-box-message/7PakTPRJNg7xJpHmawtzCM/. dead.
  7. Web site: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Ole Miss – Auburn 1999. July 8, 2018. July 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180709010417/http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102816aaa.html. dead.
  8. Web site: Ole Miss vs. Auburn – Game Recap – October 14, 2022 – ESPN. ESPN.com.