Coming off a huge 48-31 victory against Texas A&M, the No. 3 Mississippi State Bulldogs will need to intensify their relentless effort to come away with a win against the No. 2 Auburn Tigers this weekend. 
The Tigers’ defense has been noted to be one of the top in the nation, and MSU head coach Dan Mullen recognizes that as a challenge.  
“They have the linebackers that are big, physical guys, then they’re athletic enough to go play a lot of man coverage and give you the one-on-one matchups on the outside to stop the run within what they do. They’re a very well-coached outfit,” Mullen said.
The Auburn matchup is more than just a conference game, as the winner will most likely take No. 1 at the top of the polls, but Mullen said his team still has a lot of work to do in order to meet its season’s goals.
“This has nothing to do with our goal. Rankings and all are really cool. The only one that I see is that we’re 2-0 in the SEC with six games to go, so we haven’t accomplished all that much yet, but the rest of it is kind of cool,” Mullen said.
Auburn enters the game 5-0 and defending conference champions. Mullen said the Tigers are one of the most complete teams the Bulldogs will face all season.   
“You look at Auburn and the type of team they are, the team knows how to win. Obviously they are the defending conference champion. They got to play for a national championship last year. Their guys know how to win. They’ve played in big games and know how to play in big games,” he said. 
Before the Tigers’ 2013 victory over the Bulldogs, Auburn was deep into a 10-game conference losing streak.  
After claiming the No. 1 rush offense in 2013, Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall returns this year with championship experience. However, the Bulldog offense is not far behind. MSU quarterback Dak Prescott has already accounted for 20 touchdowns in just five games this season and accumulated 1,232 passing yards. 
When comparing the 2014-15 Bulldogs to last year’s squad, one might be tempted to use the term “new and improved,” but wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson said this year’s team plays with more cohesiveness.  
“We’re much closer than last year’s team. The work ethic is there and new strength coaches,” Wilson said. 
Consistency from the entire team throughout the game will be the key to keeping the Tigers under pressure on Saturday. 
“We know what kind of team we are and who we are, so we’re just gonna keep working hard,” wide receiver Joe Morrow said. 
ESPN College GameDay’s live coverage from the Junction will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and the game will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. on CBS.