It was played in Jacksonville, Florida, on January 2, 1971, the day after the major bowl games.
[1][2][3][4] This was a matchup of two SEC teams, fourth-place Ole Miss and second-place Auburn, that rarely played each other.
Auburn quarterback Pat Sullivan won the Heisman Trophy the following season.
Neither head coach was on the sidelines for medical reasons: Johnny Vaught from a mild heart attack and Auburn's Ralph Jordan was recovering from an appendectomy.
Ralph Jordan led Auburn for five additional seasons and the Tigers reached four more bowl games.