Auburn Must Find a Way to Contain Trinidad Chambliss Against Ole Miss

The Auburn Tigers have struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks throughout the season, and that could become a major problem on Saturday when they travel to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.

After allowing LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt to extend plays and pick up crucial yards with his legs, Auburn will now have to find a way to stop Trinidad Chambliss, who presents many of the same challenges.

And Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin knows his defense has to improve in that area.

The Tigers had problems containing Leavitt during their 38-17 loss to LSU, as the quarterback was able to escape the pocket and extend drives.

Auburn struggled to get off the field on third down, and Leavitt's ability to scramble was a big reason why.

"A lot of those third downs I was talking about came from the scramble," Durkin said.

He also explained that even when Auburn prevented Leavitt from picking up a first down, his scrambling sometimes turned third-and-long situations into fourth-and-short, allowing LSU to keep its offense on the field.

This hasn't been Auburn's first problem with a mobile quarterback.

The Tigers also struggled to contain Vanderbilt true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis earlier this season, as he picked up multiple big gains with his legs during Auburn's victory.

Now Auburn will face another quarterback capable of doing the same thing.

Although Chambliss hasn't put up massive rushing numbers this season, he rushed for over 500 yards last year and has shown the ability to make plays outside the pocket.

But what makes Chambliss particularly dangerous is his ability to keep looking downfield when plays break down.

"The arm strength is real. The accuracy is real. The ability to extend plays and push the ball down the field is real," Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said.

Durkin also had plenty of praise for the Ole Miss quarterback, calling him one of the best players in the country.

The biggest challenge for Auburn's defensive front will be keeping Chambliss from escaping the pocket.

"Whoever our rushers are, they got to cage them in the pocket," Durkin said.

Auburn's edge rushers will have to do a much better job maintaining containment than they did against LSU.

If the Tigers continue allowing quarterbacks to extend plays, it could be another long afternoon for Auburn's defense.

And against an Ole Miss offense with plenty of playmakers, Auburn can't afford another performance like the one it had against LSU.