Auburn (3-3, 120 SEC) vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (6-0, 2-0)

When: 11 a.m. CT, Saturday

Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Miss.

TV: ESPN

Line: Ole Miss -14.5

This game will determine…

Not that it necessarily will determine this, but Saturday’s game against Ole Miss could determine whether Bryan Harsin will finish out the season as Auburn’s head coach. The embattled second-year coach has been searching for answers and trying to figure out how to turn things around offensively as his program’s backslide since its win against Ole Miss last season has continued through the midpoint of this season. If Auburn loses against Ole Miss, the Tigers will be 3-9 in their last 12 games — a full season’s worth of games, which also happens to be the record from the dreaded 2012 campaign. Should Auburn choose to cut ties with Harsin before the end of the season, doing so heading into the bye week seems like the logical time to make a change. Can Harsin mount a last stand on the road against a top-10 team in a venue that Auburn has been historically successful playing in? It’s time to find out.

Three things to look for…

1. Tank in a rut. Auburn’s preseason first-team All-SEC running back has been mired in mediocrity this season, averaging just 2.94 yards per carry against Power 5 competition this season. He has struggled to get going, often having to fight through contact in the backfield just to produce minimal gains on the ground. If Auburn hopes to find its identity on offense and develop a more balanced attack, it will need to find a way to get Tank Bigsby going.

2. The fumble problem. Auburn has fumbled the ball more than any FBS team this season, with 16 of them in six games. The Tigers have been fortunate that only five of those have resulted in turnovers, but they need to do a better job of protecting the ball in general, particularly quarterback Robby Ashford, who has fumbled the ball seven times this season.

3. Friends turned foes. Two former Auburn players will line up for Ole Miss on defense: defensive tackle J.J. Pegues and defensive back Ladarius Tennison. Pegues has played in five games along the line, while Tennison has seen the field in all six games for the Rebels, starting five of them in the secondary. The two former four-stars, who signed with Auburn in the 2020 class, could play pivotal roles in Ole Miss’ effort to keep the Tigers’ struggling offense from getting on track.

Key matchup

Auburn’s secondary against Ole Miss star wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. The senior is the SEC’s top receiver this season, with 507 yards and three touchdowns on 22 receptions, averaging 23.1 yards per catch, which ranks second among FBS receivers. He’ll provide a stiff test for an Auburn secondary that has improved in recent weeks. After allowing just 85 yards through the air against LSU two weeks ago, Auburn kept Georgia’s Stetson Bennett in check in the first half of last week’s matchup between the hedges, limiting him to 7-of-13 passing for 25 yards before the Bulldogs’ run game opened up some things in the passing attack in the second half. Auburn’s secondary has allowed just two passing touchdowns this season, which is tied for fewest in the country.

By the numbers

15 — Since Auburn’s 31-20 win against Ole Miss last Oct. 30, Auburn has averaged just 15 points per game in regulation against SEC opponents over its last seven conference games.

Key injuries

Auburn — OL Nick Brahms out (retired), OL Tate Johnson out (elbow), QB Zach Calzada out (shoulder), Edge Eku Leota out (pectoral), WR Landen King out (redshirt), QB T.J. Finley questionable (shoulder), OL Austin Troxell questionable (undisclosed), OL Alec Jackson questionable (lower body).

Ole Miss — TE Michael Trigg out (collarbone), RB Ulysses Bentley IV questionable (wrist), K Caden Costa out (suspension).

Ole Miss player to watch

Quinshon Judkins, running back. The freshman out of Pike Road has been a revelation for Ole Miss this season. A former three-star prospect, Judkins has rushed for 581 yards and eight touchdowns in six games for the Rebels. He’s 19th nationally and second in the SEC in yards per game (96.83), which is also the second-best mark among all freshmen nationwide, while his eight rushing touchdowns are tops among all freshmen in the FBS.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.