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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- A record crowd of 52,368 packed into
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, most hoping to see Mississippi give a
rude welcome to former Rebels coach Tommy Tuberville.
Rudi Johnson made sure it didn't happen.
|  | | Tailback Rudi Johnson is the first Auburn runner since Stephen Davis in 1995 to have back-to-back 100-yard games. |
Johnson rushed for 165 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns as Auburn earned a 35-27 victory over Mississippi (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) on Saturday night to give
Tuberville a victory over his former team.
"It's big that it's over with," said Tuberville, who left Ole
Miss for Auburn two days after the end of the 1998 season. "I'm
glad that it's close to the first game of the year, so we can get
the hype out of the way."
As the game ended, the Auburn players raised Tuberville onto
their shoulders as the crowd loudly booed.
"It's nice to come out of here with a victory for Coach
Tuberville and his staff," Auburn quarterback Ben Leard said. "We
knew it was going to be hostile."
Auburn was last in the country in rushing last season, but
Johnson, the junior college transfer, has rushed for 339 yards in
two games. The Tigers' leading rusher last season had 330 yards.
"This was the first time in a long time that we've run for more
than we've passed," said Leard, who had two 1-yard touchdown runs.
The Tigers had 261 yards rushing, with fullback Heath Evans
complementing Johnson with 56 yards and a touchdown.
"We decided to run the ball and fortunately our work in the
running game paid off," Tuberville said.
Deuce McAllister had 257 all-purpose yards and scored three
touchdowns, including an 87-yard punt return that gave Ole Miss
(1-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) a 27-21 lead in the third
quarter.
But Auburn (2-0, 1-0 SEC) answered McAllister's speed with
Johnson's power in the fourth quarter.
On a fourth-and-2 play, Johnson broke through the left side of a
tightly packed Ole Miss line and rumbled 42 yards for a touchdown
that gave the Tigers a 28-27 with 13:59 to go.
After an interception by Courtney Rose with 8:02 left, Auburn
put together a 37-yard drive that took 6:21 and ended with Leard
touchdown.
Stanford Simmons' diving interception with 1:27 left to play
sealed the victory. It was the third interception thrown by Romaro
Miller.
Leard said that the team gave Tuberville a game ball.
Johnson became the first Auburn runner since Stephen Davis in
1995 to have back-to-back 100-yard games.
"Rudi Johnson gave us a lot of trouble," Ole Miss coach David
Cutcliffe said. "I have a feeling he is going to give a lot of
teams fits."
Auburn, led by Johnson and fullback Heath Evans, jumped out a
21-7 with 9:16 left in the second quarter.
McAllister ran for 104 yards on 19 carries and almost
single-handedly brought Ole Miss back.
His first touchdown was a 26-yard burst up the middle at 7:39 of
the second quarter that made it 21-14.
McAllister completed the Rebels' opening drive of the second
half by leaping over the line from about a foot out on
fourth-and-goal. But Les Binkley missed the extra point, the first
missed PAT of his career in 46 attempts.
McAllister gave the Rebels the lead with his next touchdown.
He fielded Damon Duval's punt at the Rebels' 13, sidestepped a
tackler, then raced through a seam in Auburn's coverage untouched,
outrunning Duval for an 87-yard return. The score gave the Rebels a
27-21 lead at 4:53 of the third.
Ole Miss has lost eight straight Southeastern Conference
openers.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Auburn Clubhouse
Mississippi Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Auburn's Rudi Johnson bulldozes his way into the end zone.
avi: 995 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Deuce McAllister's 87-yard punt return gives Ole Miss the lead late in the third quarter.
avi: 1220 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Rudi Johnson turns a fourth-and-2 play into a 42 yard touchdown run.
avi: 820 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Stanford Simmons' late interception dashes Romaro Miller's hopes at a comeback.
avi: 952 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Tommy Tuberville was pleased with the intensity of his Auburn squad.
wav: 68 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Rudi Johnson wanted to play hard for Coach Tommy Tuberville's return to Mississippi.
wav: 56 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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