AUBURN | Twelve tackles at LSU. Fifteen more at Arkansas and then 14 against Ole Miss Saturday night.

Linebacker Zakoby McClain, the SEC and Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week, is on a tear as Auburn makes a big move up the SEC West standings.

“I told my team, ‘I refuse to lose, I just wanna win.’ I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” said McClain. “I want all of them to follow me and feed off me.”

McClain added a career-high 2.0 sacks against the Rebels to go along with his 12th career double-figure tackle game.

After leading the nation with 113 tackles last season, he needs just 33 more this fall to become the first Auburn player with 100 or more tackles in back-to-back seasons since Takeo Spikes in 1996-97.

“He loves football. There's no question about it,” said Auburn coach Bryan Harsin. “He is that way from when he walks into a meeting to the end of our game on Saturday. That starts on Sunday. I love it. I love that mentality. I love that he prepares himself to go out there and play and really, truly enjoys the game. Like, that's one thing when you watch Zakoby play: You know he enjoys the game. And I enjoy watching him play.

“He was out there. He made some tremendous tackles. He played physical in that game. And that's part of who we want to be.”

Auburn’s defense held Ole Miss to its lowest point total under Lane Kiffin in the 31-20 win. Now the Tigers, which have risen to No. 12 in the country, face another SEC West showdown at No. 13 Texas A&M.

McClain’s plan is just as simple as it’s been the last several weeks.

“We can play as brothers and lean on each other and just fight,” he said.

Kickoff at Kyle Field is scheduled fo 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.