With Mississippi State set to open SEC play against Auburn on Saturday, the Bulldog faithful seem to be more optimistic than ever about State’s chances of defeating the defending national champions.
Auburn may hold the nation’s longest winning streak with 16 games, but a poor defensive showing against Utah State has many State fans predicting an easy win on The Plains. The Tigers gave up a surprising 448 total yards of offense to the Aggies of Utah State while only managing to rack up 364 yards of their own. However, Auburn’s new starting quarterback Barrett Trotter looked very good against the Aggies as he went 17-23 for 261 yards and three touchdowns, and Auburn looked extremely dangerous on special teams.
In lieu of State’s offense recording a new school record  of 645 yards of total offense in the season opener against Memphis, it is understandable many State fans are expecting to rack up points against an Auburn team that struggled to stop a Utah State squad that was picked to finish seventh in the WAC. Do not tell this to MSU starting cornerback Corey Broomfield, though.
“It’s the first game of the year. They got to get all of the kinks out, so what happened last week really doesn’t matter,” Broomfield said. “It’s the first SEC game. They are going to come out ready to play.”
MSU starting center Quentin Saulsberry is also quick to point out many people are reading too much into the one game Auburn has played.
“You have to look at it. You make mistakes, too. They made mistakes. They are on scholarship just like we are,” Saulsberry said. “We just have to execute our gameplan. It’s not about the opposing team. It’s about you.”
The coaches and players certainly expect a young, talented Auburn team to play far better than it did last week, but it may be possible for State to play better as well. After surrendering more yards than Mullen would have preferred against Memphis, the Bulldogs are most likely going to have All-SEC defensive tackle Fletcher Cox back in the starting lineup for the game against Auburn.
Mullen could not help but note the advantage of having a player of Cox’s caliber back plugging the middle of the defense.
“It’s a big advantage having a guy like Fletcher,” Mullen said. “You saw how young we got with him out.”
If State is going to defeat Auburn on the road, it is going to have to be able to run the ball. Long drives take time off of the clock and help to quiet the raucous crowds present at every SEC game. Against Auburn, long drives would help to keep the ever dangerous offense of Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan off the field in Saturday’s game.
“To win on the road in the SEC, you have to win the line of scrimmage battle. That’s always going to be a key component in the game,” Mullen said. “The team that runs the football on the road in this conference has a good chance of winning.”
After racking up 306 rushing yards against Memphis last week, State fans have to feel good about the ability of Mullen’s offense to run the ball against the Tigers. That optimism should not be taken as overconfidence, however. They may be young, but Auburn is still an extremely talented team that is certain to improve with every game played this fall. The coaches and players understand how difficult this game will be. State fans would be well-served to listen to them.