Ole Miss DL Robert Nkemdiche Cleared to Play against Auburn

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

News and on-the-field results for Auburn (4-3, 1-3) fans has not been great during the 2015 season and the news got a little bit worse on Thursday when Ole Miss (6-2, 3-1) defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche was cleared to return to action against the Tigers.

The unthinkable happened for Nkemdiche when he suffered a concussion against Memphis (Oct. 17) during a 37-24 loss. The dominating All-SEC performer was lined up at running back taking a hit to the head off a carry and did not return to the field. Nkemdiche was cleared last weekend to play against Texas A&M but on game day awoke with concussion symptoms forcing him to sit out the SEC West conference game.

The Rebels looked sharp against A&M on defense without their star player holding the Aggies to 192 yards of total offense.

The news for Auburn fans could get potentially worse if safety Tony Conner is cleared to play this weekend as well. Connor suffered a torn meniscus against Alabama in Week 3 action but has been back on the practice field testing out his knee for game time. Conner is more of a rover in the Rebels’ 4-2-5 defense adding an assured tackler to help stop Auburn’s rushing attack.

There is potential Nkemdiche could miss the Auburn game if any further concussion symptoms should surface.

Auburn plays host to Ole Miss on Saturday with a kickoff time of 12:00 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: clarionledger.com; No. 5 Robert Nkemdiche suffers concussion vs. Memphis.