http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=281415&pub=1&div=Sports
OXFORD – On a day Ole Miss celebrated its past by unveiling a statue of former coach John Vaught, new coach Houston Nutt guided the Rebels to a rare win over Auburn that may bring a brighter bowl future into view.
The Rebels rushed for 233 yards, and quarterback Jevan Snead passed 3 yards to seldom-used Derrick Davis for a 10-point cushion with 6 minutes, 45 seconds to play, as scouts from seven bowl games watched a 17-7 victory before a season-largest crowd of 57,324.
?I just try to stay humble and keep the faith, and the coaches put me in the right position to make a play,? said Davis, a junior running back who has been passed on the depth chart by incoming talent and his Meridian High School teammate Cordera Eason.
The Rebels (5-4, 3-3 SEC) won back-to-back games for the first time since 2004 and moved past Auburn (4-5, 2-4 SEC) into third place in the Western Division.
One more win will make Ole Miss eligible for a bowl game for the first time since 2003.
The Rebels had lost four straight and seven of eight against Auburn and former Ole Miss coach Tommy Tuberville, which it last defeated in 2003.
?We felt like we owed our fans a game,? Nutt said.
The Rebels had not defeated an SEC team at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium since the 2006 finale against Mississippi State.
Twice here this season they watched near-wins slip away with multiple turnovers.
Saturday Ole Miss played turnover-free football for the first time since the season opener, and picked off Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns three times.
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
11/2/08
