After thumping Jackson State in their 2012 season opener last Saturday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs find themselves in a situation known all too well as they prepare for their SEC opener against the Auburn Tigers. With expectations at a new pinnacle and dreams of an attractive bowl game never far away from the minds of anyone associated with the program, MSU head coach Dan Mullen said he realizes the importance of this Saturday’s game.
“We’re ready for this game,” Mullen said. “It’s very important to find a way to win this football game and catapult yourself into the rest of the season in conference play.”
Since Mullen took over as head coach at MSU in the 2009 season, the Bulldogs have suffered multiple agonizing losses to the Tigers. In 2010, then-Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who at one time was a verbal commitment to State and was eventually awarded the Heisman Trophy, led the Tigers to a 17-14 win over State in Starkville. Last season, with Auburn up seven points, MSU quarterback Chris Relf led the offense on a late, fourth-quarter drive, only to be stopped inches short of the goal line on the final play of the game. MSU lost the game 41-34.        
Looking back on the game against Auburn last season, many MSU players, such as sophomore tight end Brandon Hill, said the devastating loss hindered the potential of State’s season.
“It left a bad taste in our mouths,” Hill said. “I think it was the loss that stalled our season.”
Others, like senior wide receiver Chad Bumphis, said the team was initially disheartened by the loss, but now uses it as motivation to practice and prepare harder for each game.
“I asked coach (Matt) Balis what happened,” Bumphis said. “As hard as we worked in the offseason, there was no reason for us to be losing games that close. He just told me to keep working and it would come together.”
MSU now faces an Auburn team who is seeking its identity. In the offseason, the Tigers lost former offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn, who accepted the head coaching job at Arkansas State. To replace Malzahn, the Tigers hired Scott Loeffler, the offensive coordinator at Temple during the 2011 season. On the other side of the ball, in one of the more odd coaching stories of the offseason, the Tigers lost defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who left Auburn for the defensive coordinator position at Central Florida.
To fill the void left by Roof, the Tigers and head coach Gene Chizik turned to Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. VanGorder, who was the defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2001-2004, had been with the Falcons for five seasons.
In the first game of the young season, Auburn, debuted a new offense and defense and dropped a 26-19 decision to the Clemson Tigers at a neutral site in Atlanta. 
With past defeats serving as a constant reminder of how tough winning games in the SEC is, Saturday’s game against Auburn, while early in the season, could play a substantial role in determining whether MSU plays before or after the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
One huge matchup Saturday will undoubtedly be MSU’s offensive line versus Auburn’s defensive line. Offensive lineman Blaine Clausell said maintaining a push against the Tiger’s stout, speedy defensive line, namely juniors Dee Ford and Corey Lemonier, will be pivotal to the Bulldogs’ success.
“They’re both fast and pretty good players,” Clausell said of the duo. “It’s going to test our footwork and how we play.”
Along with keeping junior starting quarterback Tyler Russell out of harm’s way, the line must provide junior running back LaDarius Perkins with gaps to run through. Against Clemson last week, AU allowed an astounding 320 yards rushing, and although MSU will be hard pressed to duplicate that stat, the Bulldogs must have success running the ball for the offense to be effective against a stingy Tiger defense.
Saturday’s game at Davis Wade Stadium is slated to kick off at 11 a.m. and will be televised nationally by ESPN.