Saturday will mark the 76th football meeting between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers.
Auburn leads the series 54-22-2.
This year marks the first year after Auburn’s 13-0 season, in which four of their starters were drafted in the first round in the NFL draft.
The Tigers’ season got off to a rocky start, as they were upset by Georgia Tech last weekend 23-14 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who is 51-25 in seven years at AU. “We have a lot of potential, we made a lot of mistakes.”
Bulldog head coach Sylvester Croom saw several good aspects of Auburn’s football program.
“They are a solid team in every area right now,” Croom said. “The biggest difference from what I can see from last year is just not having those two great running backs [Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown]. But the running back they have right now [Tre Smith] is very good.”
Saturday will be the opening SEC game for both teams, and it seems that several important factors of the game seem to favor Auburn over Mississippi State.
The game will be played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, which seats 87,451. MSU was winless last year in Southeastern Conference road games.
“[Going on the road] is very tough, because you’re going to someone else’s home,” said MSU junior free safety Jeramie Johnson, who recorded a team-leading nine tackles against Murray State. “You’re expecting to win, but the crowd is making you think that you’re nothing.”
Auburn is 24-5 all-time against MSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium and 243-60-7 versus all opponents.
Another factor that favors Auburn is size, especially in Auburns’ offensive front five. The offensive line averages 315 pounds per member, while MSU’s defensive line averages 280 pounds.
“[Auburn’s offensive line] rivals some of the biggest lines I’ve seen in the National Football League,” Croom said. “The line we had at Green Bay was nowhere close to this size. These guys are huge. We are just going to have to run to the football, and keep our pad levels low.”
Auburn’s wide receivers also hold size advantages over MSU’s defenders. The Tiger wide receivers stand 6-foot-4 on average., while MSU’s defensive backs height average is 5-foot-11.
Auburn’s wide receivers include Anthony Mix, Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor.
“Auburn has very good receivers. They’re big, very productive,” Croom said. “There’s a little mismatch in size, but that’s true every week. Hopefully we can get enough pass rush to disrupt their timing.”
Kevin Dockery, who stands at 5-foot-9, agrees with Croom.
“They’re big, fast, they’re very physical,” he said. “They’re full-speed all the time, they run good routes and they are very involved in the running game, so we’re going to have to bring our ‘A game.'”
One glimpse of hope for the Bulldog defense could be the mistake-filled performance of Auburn sophomore quarterback Brandon Cox, who threw four interceptions in his starting debut.
However, Croom realizes that Cox also threw for over 300 yards in last week’s game.
“[Cox is] a new quarterback. It’s one thing being a backup, but it’s a whole different thing being a starter,” he said. “I’m sure there were butterflies. We’ve got to expect that we’ll get his best game. He is a very talented individual.”
MSU’s defense will need to hold Auburn to as little gain as possible.
Auburn is 31-0 under Tuberville when scoring more than 30 points in a game.
On the other side of the ball, Bulldog quarterback Omarr Conner is excited and willing to lead his team to a much-needed SEC victory.
Conner was pleased with his protection in the Murray State game and hopes it continues this weekend.
“They worked hard,” he said. “They have a lot of confidence now. They’re going to be playing against a good D-Line; it’s a challenge. They just have to step up and play.”
Having completed 17 of 24 passes, for 233 yards and four touchdowns against Murray State, Conner feels confident in himself and wide receivers.
“Keon [Humphries] and Tee [Milons] are going to make plays, I just have to get the ball to them.”
Jerious Norwood rushed for 123 yards against Murray State. Even though the passing game against the Racers got all the glory, Norwood’s skills may come in handy against the always-tough Tiger defense.
“This is one of the fastest defenses we’ll play all year,” said MSU senior center Chris McNeil.
But, unlike last year, there is a sense of pride and confidence in this year’s football team.
“The main thing that has changed here is attitude,” said Croom. “There is a huge change in the ways our players handle themselves both on the field and off the field. Their work ethic is strong. There is a commitment to each other, and to this program.”
McNeil added to Croom’s statement.
“I don’t believe any other team in the country has been through what we’ve been through [in the off-season], and I think mental toughness will be what carries us this year,” he said.
After the upsets in college football last weekend, it gives a sense of hope that the underdog Bulldogs could pull through as the David of this David-and-Goliath story, and shock the Tigers and the entire nation.
“Any given Saturday, anybody can beat anybody,” Dockery said. “We’re going in expecting to win. We have a lot of confidence in our guys this year.”