After a slow start, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead has turned it on in recent weeks, putting up the kind of numbers that made him a sleeper Heisman candidate before the season.

Auburn is certainly aware.

"Jevan's a great quarterback and obviously we're going to have to be very sound with what we do coverage wise," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said during Wednesday's SEC teleconference. "They do a great job of protecting him. And obviously they have some really, really talented receivers, so it's going to be a great challenge for us, there's no question about it."

Snead , who threw for 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns last year, struggled early in the SEC season. Against Vanderbilt and Alabama, he was intercepted seven times.

But he regained his form last week against Arkansas, throwing for 332 yards with a pair of touchdowns (although he still had two picks). For the year, he has 1,108 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

"Early on with a brand new line to break in, I think there were some times where he thought he had to make a play and force some things, and interceptions mounted up," Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said. "But I think he's handled everything right. He's in a little uncharted waters having so much press before the year, and I think he's handled it right. The last three weeks, we've been very proud of him."

Auburn will have to pressure him. The Tigers have been average in that department this year, with 15 sacks in eight games, seventh in the SEC.

"I don't think you can stop any quarterback in this league without getting some pressure on him," Chizik said. "I think that's going to be the key."

Chizik didn't have much new to say during the teleconference, but here are things Nutt said ...

• Nutt's been in the SEC for a while, since 1998 to be exact. He thinks defenses have always been strong in the league since then, but says things have evolved. "I think the biggest thing is that defenses have always been so good. It just seems like now a little bit more mixture of zone blitzes, corner fires. I mean, the packages to me have grown. A little bit more complicated than in '98. But they're still very, very fast. The defensive linemen, cover corners, backers are so athletic."

• He thinks the quality of defenses is a big reason some offenses don't look so hot. "I think when you look at Alabama and South Carolina and look at our defense -- these defenses are good. These are good, solid defenses that can run and all 11 players are usually very good but then the standouts ... it's hard to move the ball."

• Nutt didn't have much to say about Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who he hired as his offensive coordinator for one rocky year in 2006. "No I haven't talked to him," Nutt said. "We don't really look at it like that. We're facing Auburn, a very good team. We know how fast they came out of the gate 5-0. We know there's good athletes there. And we don't look at it so much going against Gus as much as going against a good Auburn team."

• Nutt didn't think it was much of an advantage having coached with Malzahn and knowing how he thinks. "It helps when you have a little knowledge of players and you feel like you know a little bit," he said. "But just like any other game, you're really concentrating on putting players in the best positions, giving them the best plan, so you're studying that film. And whatever extra we get is a little bonus."

• As for where Snead stacks up in the league, Nutt said this: "I think he's right there. He's a good leader for us, good arm, very accurate. And just want him to continue to take care of the ball, and when he does that he can be one of the best in the league."