AUBURN | On Saturday, in my preview of the Tigers' matchup against Ole Miss, I used songs by the great 2Pac as bullet points for how Auburn could win. But, ultimately, I forgot one song (and one of my favorites) in the classic "Changes." Fortunately for the Tigers, Derek Mason didn't forget that word.

The defensive coordinator again made some major adjustments at halftime after seeing his unit give up 17 points to the Rebels in the first 30 minutes. The high-powered offense led by Matt Corral and the brainchild of Lane Kiffin was having its way with the Tigers' defense. Changes were in order.

"I know Coach Mason and the defensive staff do a great job of preparing themselves with their game planning," Bryan Harsin said. "Come game time, being able to make adjustments too because you never know exactly what the offenses are going to do, and so you've got to adjust in how they're going to attack you, like who they're going to attack."

Ole Miss still got its yards in the second half. Still, the Tigers held their ground in a final 30 minutes in which points were at a premium. Auburn stopped the Rebels on three fourth-down attempts, recorded a key interception by Jaylin Simpson in the end zone and, in the end, kept Ole Miss to its lowest point total of the season.

Roger McCreary and the Auburn defense came in ready to go to battle on all four downs.

"We already knew they were a fourth-down team, so we were not expecting to get off (the field) on fourth down at all," the defensive back said. "We were ready for the next call, ready to get set up, and I feel like with the second half, Coach Mason came up with some new stuff for us, and I feel like it was great for us."

It's part of a growing trend by Auburn to see what the offense is doing and making those critical adjustments. Two weeks ago against Arkansas, the Tigers held the Razorbacks scoreless in the fourth quarter. Then, in breaking the Baton Rouge curse against LSU, Auburn allowed just two Cade York field goals in the second half, helping set up the comeback victory.

Overall, it's a sign of a good coaching staff and players willing to learn on the fly of their responsibilities. This Auburn team seems to have bought in what Harsin and his assistants are selling, and a mentally-strong performance against an explosive Ole Miss offense, a 6-2 record and chance to make some major noise in the SEC West title race is the outcome.

Harsin acknowledged his coordinator's contribution.

"You know, the last two games have been good," he said of halftime defensive adjustments.

And how.