Auburn (3-3, 1-2 SEC) heads into Saturday’s (11 am CT) matchup against No. 9 Ole Miss (6-0, 2-0 SEC) seeking to end a two-game losing streak in conference play and keep alive a six-year winning streak against the Rebels. Head coach Bryan Harsin’s squad won its last game against a ranked opponent when the team downed Ole Miss last Halloween weekend at Jordan-Hare.

Auburn was 6-2 with a 3-1 record in Southeastern Conference play, with wins against LSU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss while carrying a #18 ranking. The Tigers are 1-6 in SEC contests since the win against LSU, with losses against Texas A&M, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and the Iron Bowl against Alabama last season.

This year the Tigers are 1-2 in conference action and would likely be 0-3 in the SEC if not for a miraculous bounce on a fumble in the end zone by Missouri running back Nathaniel Peat. Harsin came to Auburn with a 69-19 record as Boise State’s head coach.

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The former Broncos’ quarterback won three Mountain West conference titles as his alma mater. He also went 7-5 at Arkansas State in 2013 before Boise hired him for the 2014 season.

Harsin didn’t leave the comforts of his hometown to go 9-10 through 19 games into his second year as the Tigers’ head coach. Alas, that’s where he is with his squad as a 13.5-point underdog against a hot Ole Miss team at Vaught Hemmingway Stadium, where Auburn is 13-2.

“We’re coaching football here and trying to develop a football team,” Harsin said. “We’re trying to develop people, and we’re trying to grow these people while they’re here in our program. At the end of the week, we know the result will be whatever happens in the game, and we want that result to be in our favor.”

How does one stay engaged when they aren’t used to losing and are on the hot seat?

“It’s not that complicated for me,” Harsin said via teleconference. “I try to focus on the things I can control. Control the things you can manage and continue to enjoy the fact that you get the chance to play or coach football. That never goes away; there’s a reason why we do what we do. We love what we do.”

Like most coaches these days, Harsin regularly preaches about going 1-0 each week and focusing on getting one-percent better every day. Those sayings sound great when you’re winning. However, when a team is treading water, it might ring hollow.

Harsin seems committed to finding a solution to Auburn’s problems on the football field.

What we’re doing and what we have the opportunity to do,” Harsin said. “I haven’t lost love for that and appreciation for the fact that we get to go out there and bring people together. I want to help these young men grow in their lives. We have a job responsibility, but there’s a bigger purpose in everything we do. That’s what gets me out of bed every single morning.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.