Auburn fell to Ole Miss, but Tigers found silver lining in return of pair of defenders

AUBURN − Auburn football had two key defensive players return from injuries Saturday against Ole Miss in starting slot cornerback Keionte Scott and linebacker Austin Keys.

Scott had been sidelined since Week 3 against Samford, when he suffered an ankle sprain that required surgery. Keys returned from a thumb injury he sustained in Week 1 against UMass, which also forced him to have surgery.

"Keionte makes us better," coach Hugh Freeze said after the 28-21 loss. "He's a great leader and, obviously, a really good player. I thought we played decent defense on one of the more explosive offenses in the country and they (Scott and Keys) were two of the reasons why."

While the Auburn offense fell flat − the Tigers finished with just 122 passing yards − the defense kept Auburn afloat for the majority of the contest, pushing Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart into an interception in the first half and forcing multiple three-and-outs.

Ole Miss finished 2-of-11 on third downs, and Dart was held to 56% completion percentage . The Rebels scored on their opening two drives but were held scoreless by the Auburn defense on their next eight possessions. Ole Miss found the end zone again as the third quarter was expiring.

Keys finished the game with four total tackles. Larry Nixon III led with eight tackles and Marcus Harris added seven, two of which were for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Jalen McLeod was the only Tiger other than Harris to finish with a sack.

Keionte Scott on first game back

Getting the defensive start in the secondary, Scott finished with five tackles and two pass breakups. Playing a significant amount of snaps in his first game back from injury was all apart of his plan. He initially wanted to return last week against LSU.

"I had LSU circled on my calendar and didn't get that accomplished," Scott said. "I knew Ole Miss was for certain, so being out there again I really did not want to come off the field tonight. I felt good all night and I feel good now. I'm not too sore, and once I go back into the training facility I'll be all set for next week."

Scott added: "I think as a whole we can always do better, and I don't think we do to good in the pass game and gave up too many yards. We want to be a defense that plays aggressive at the end of the day, and as a unit we just have to be better."

Auburn will be back at Jordan-Hare Stadium to host Mississippi State on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Keionte Scott, Austin Keys return in Auburn football loss to Ole Miss