Derick Hall had been itching to get to Saturday all week at practice.

The Gulfport, Miss., product was amped to square off against a team from his home state with a roster packed with players he knew from high school.

The game carried even more meaning for Hall when he was told while warming up he would make his first career start for senior defensive end Marlon Davidson, who was out with lower back pain.

“Coach [Rodney Garner] told me right before the game,” Hall said. “Marlon talked to me and told me what I needed to do. Especially playing against a team from Mississippi, it was huge for me."

Hall had three tackles and a quarterback hurry in the Tigers' thrilling, 20-14 win over Ole Miss on Saturday.

"I loved it," Hall said. "Couldn't ask for better."

Though Hall had played snaps at buck linebacker or defensive end in six of Auburn's previous eight games, the responsibility of starting was a different beast. Davidson made sure to follow the freshman around on the sidelines, giving him tips and making sure he was at his best, Hall said.

On Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee's touchdown run just before the half, Hall said the play was his fault — that he didn't set the edge properly and lost contain.

Davidson, dressed in street clothes, went straight to the freshman on the sideline as soon as the defensive series ended.

“I was kind of down,” Hall said. “He said, ‘Pick your head up. It happens to everyone.’ He gave me pointers throughout the entire game. I think that was huge. We were focusing on getting the shutout. Knowing it was on me, my teammates all came together and talked to me and told me it was going to be OK.”

Auburn's defense as a whole had another standout performance against the Rebels, as only one of Ole Miss' 11 possessions exceeded 35 yards on the night. And even as Plumlee began to drive down the field with a minute remaining, down just 6 points, Hall felt the defense's discipline and preparation was going to secure the victory the whole time.

"No pressure," Hall said, shrugging off the intensity of the final series. "We practice that all the day. We just do what we do and play Auburn defense."

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