State vs. Auburn: Who has the edge?

[aubiefifty 17,488]

Mississippi State vs. Auburn: Who has the edge?

Stefan Krajisnik Daily Journal

3-4 minutes

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Quarterbacks

 

Will Rogers has gone from a player with consistency concerns to someone who has kept MSU in games during crucial stretches. His SEC-best passing numbers (passing yards and completion percentage) are proving to be about more than just a result of the Air Raid offense.

"Bad Bo" Nix showed up for Auburn at Texas A&M. With his inconsistency, perhaps he is due for a big game this week. Still, his numbers don't compare to Rogers.

Edge: Mississippi State

 

Running backs

 

Auburn's Tank Bigsby is among the more exciting backs in the SEC. His 735 rushing yards rank fourth in the conference. Jarquez Hunter is just four spots below Bigsby in the SEC with ranks with 544 rushing yards, but he leads the conference with 7.45 yards per rush.

MSU has ran the ball 61 times in its previous two games. Jo'quavious Marks continues to put his stamp on the passing game. But it's hard to matchup with Auburn's duo in the backfield. 

Edge: Auburn

 

Receivers/Tight ends

 

Freshman Rara Thomas is rising quickly in MSU's receiving ranks. He has four touchdowns in MSU's previous three games.

Christian Ford, who earned a scholarship last week, had two crucial catches late in MSU's loss at Arkansas. With these two making a rise, it opens more opportunities for Makai Polk, Jaden Walley and Austin Williams. 

Edge: Mississippi State

 

Offensive line

 

Auburn is No. 25 in the nation with 13 sacks allowed this season. Mississippi State is No. 98 with 25 sacks allowed.

Edge: Auburn

 

Defensive line

 

Auburn is third in the SEC with 7.44 tackles for loss per game. Its 67 tackles for loss rank No. 17 nationally. 

Auburn has just three more sacks than Mississippi State this season. MSU allowed 202 rushing yards against a run-heavy Arkansas team but remains the nation's 11th-best rush defense — thanks in large part to the work its defensive line does.

Edge: Even

 

Linebackers

 

Much of those numbers mentioned in the defensive line section apply to what each team's linebackers do. Auburn's running backs aren't very involved in the passing game, so Auburn's linebackers will be tested more matching up with Marks and Dillon Johnson in the Air Raid.

Auburn's Zakoby McClain is fifth in the SEC with 71 tackles. Jett Johnson is just outside the top-10 with 64, but with MSU's depth no one player will shine. 

Linebacker could be the position to determine this one.

Edge: Even

 

Secondary

 

MSU and Auburn have struggled with breakdowns in the secondary on occasion. Auburn has just five interceptions this season to MSU's 10, but both teams allow about 220 passing yards per game.

Edge: Even

 

Special teams

 

Special teams have become the talk of Starkville. What will MSU's kicking situation look like Saturday? MSU head coach Mike Leach said his team will hold tryouts next week after about 40 kickers showed interesting in joining State as walk-ons. Until then, Brandon Ruiz and Nolan McCord have worked on the basics such as the plant foot.

MSU returner Lideatrick Griffin's status for Saturday remains unclear. MSU might be 8-1 this season had it had an average special teams unit.

Edge: Auburn

[aubiefifty 17,488]

athlonsports.com

 

Mississippi State vs. Auburn Football Prediction and Preview

Mike Bainbridge

5-6 minutes

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SEC West teams looking to bounce back will face off when the Bulldogs and Tigers meet on Saturday

Two SEC West teams suffering disappointing losses last weekend face off on Saturday with the Mississippi State Bulldogs hitting the road to take on the Auburn Tigers.

The division is probably locked up at this point with Alabama sitting atop the standings at 5-1, but second place is more than attainable for both the Mississippi State (5-4, 3-3 SEC) and Auburn (6-3, 3-2) currently looking up at Texas A&M, which sits just one game ahead in the division. Better conference standing means better bowl location — and more money — at the end of the season, so there is plenty of incentive for both teams this weekend.

This will be the 95th all-time meeting between the two SEC West rivals (Auburn leads 67-25-2), with the Tigers winning four of the last five matchups.

Mississippi State at No. 17 Auburn

Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Auburn -5.5

When Mississippi State Has the Ball

It's funny to think that there was a legitimate quarterback competition this past offseason for Mississippi State with some thinking that Will Rogers could potentially lose his grip on the starting job. The sophomore quarterback has played some outstanding football this season, completing 75 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. Rogers ranks second in the country, averaging 368 yards per game through the air and has thrown four touchdowns in two of the last three games. Against Arkansas last week, Rogers pushed the ball downfield a bit more than he’s accustomed to with an aDOT (average depth of target) at 7.6 yards, which was his highest mark of the season. Auburn is 57^th in the country at defending the pass but has not allowed a single passing touchdown in the last two weeks.

As has been the case for years under Mike Leach, his team ranks dead last in the country in run play percentage on offense at a 27.5 percent clip, but his running backs are featured heavily in the passing game. After leading the team in receptions, a year ago, sophomore Jo’quavious Marks is second in both targets (70) and catches (63). Former California transfer Makai Polk has been a welcomed addition to the receiving corps, tied for seventh in the country with 71 catches, while true freshman Rara Thomas has begun to emerge the last three games with four touchdowns in that span.

When Auburn Has the Ball

Nothing went right offensively last week against the Aggies, as Auburn was held to a season-low three points and 226 yards of offense. Normally one of the better teams in the SEC at third-down efficiency, the Tigers were just 4-of-16 on the day and converted just one of three attempts on fourth down. The lone positive on offense for Auburn was the play of sophomore running back Tank Bigsby, who rushed for 69 yards on 15 attempts (4.6 ypc) and has looked healthy the last two weeks following the bye after not being 100 percent earlier in the year. Normally stout against the run, fielding a top-10 defense for much of the year, Mississippi State was gashed last week by Arkansas for a season-high 202 yards and two scores on the ground.

Quarterback Bo Nix had been playing some of his best ball of the season leading up to last Saturday, completing over 70 percent of his throws against Arkansas and Ole Miss, but was harassed all game long against A&M, sacked four times en route to one of his worst performances of the season. Nix should have more time to throw this week with an experienced offensive line ahead of him, as the Bulldogs are just 12^th out of 14 SEC teams in sacks (19). Nix would also be aided with better performances out of his wide receivers this week since that group combined for just five receptions against the Aggies. Tight ends and running backs accounted for 15 of the 20 catches.

Final Analysis

The last five matchups between Mississippi State and Auburn have all been decided by at least two touchdowns. This figures to be a closer contest, as there is really no particular advantage, either offensively or defensively, between the two teams. The Bulldogs have played well of late, rattling off two straight wins before losing a tightly-contested battle on the road at Arkansas last week, and Will Rogers has been lights out of late at the quarterback position. We’ll go with the home team here in Auburn in a narrow victory, but expect this one to come down to the last few possessions.

Prediction: Auburn 27, Mississippi State 24

Podcast: Week 11 Preview, Predictions + Picks Against the Spread & the Latest in Coaching and Realignment News

— Written by Mike Bainbridge, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Bainbridge is a graduate of Northern Illinois University. Follow him on Twitter @MBainbridgeCFF.

[AU9377 5,370]

To be fair, Bo Nix would look like a superstar in that offense, as would most receivers.  When it is clicking, it is hard to beat.  When it isn't, they look like Vandy.

[TAYLORKEETON 813]

Taking my stepdad to the game, been like a real dad to me. He’s an auburn grad from the early 80’s. Got us tickets on the 50 yard line lower deck, away side. Best seats he’s ever had in Jordan-Hare. Leaving bham around 6am. Really hope we can pull off the win, will make the trip that much more special. Have no idea how to predict this game, think the D can hang. IMO, it’ll all come down to the run game & which Bo shows up. Win or lose I’ll be screaming War Eagle anyways. Would be a big win especially after last week. 

[WFE12 9,192]

25 sacks allowed? Man if they don't tee off on those boys tomorrow...

[AU-24 3,124]

18 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

Mississippi State vs. Auburn: Who has the edge?

Stefan Krajisnik Daily Journal

3-4 minutes

---

 

Quarterbacks

 

Will Rogers has gone from a player with consistency concerns to someone who has kept MSU in games during crucial stretches. His SEC-best passing numbers (passing yards and completion percentage) are proving to be about more than just a result of the Air Raid offense.

"Bad Bo" Nix showed up for Auburn at Texas A&M. With his inconsistency, perhaps he is due for a big game this week. Still, his numbers don't compare to Rogers.

Edge: Mississippi State

 

Running backs

 

Auburn's Tank Bigsby is among the more exciting backs in the SEC. His 735 rushing yards rank fourth in the conference. Jarquez Hunter is just four spots below Bigsby in the SEC with ranks with 544 rushing yards, but he leads the conference with 7.45 yards per rush.

MSU has ran the ball 61 times in its previous two games. Jo'quavious Marks continues to put his stamp on the passing game. But it's hard to matchup with Auburn's duo in the backfield. 

Edge: Auburn

 

Receivers/Tight ends

 

Freshman Rara Thomas is rising quickly in MSU's receiving ranks. He has four touchdowns in MSU's previous three games.

Christian Ford, who earned a scholarship last week, had two crucial catches late in MSU's loss at Arkansas. With these two making a rise, it opens more opportunities for Makai Polk, Jaden Walley and Austin Williams. 

Edge: Mississippi State

 

Offensive line

 

Auburn is No. 25 in the nation with 13 sacks allowed this season. Mississippi State is No. 98 with 25 sacks allowed.

Edge: Auburn

 

Defensive line

 

Auburn is third in the SEC with 7.44 tackles for loss per game. Its 67 tackles for loss rank No. 17 nationally. 

Auburn has just three more sacks than Mississippi State this season. MSU allowed 202 rushing yards against a run-heavy Arkansas team but remains the nation's 11th-best rush defense — thanks in large part to the work its defensive line does.

Edge: Even

 

Linebackers

 

Much of those numbers mentioned in the defensive line section apply to what each team's linebackers do. Auburn's running backs aren't very involved in the passing game, so Auburn's linebackers will be tested more matching up with Marks and Dillon Johnson in the Air Raid.

Auburn's Zakoby McClain is fifth in the SEC with 71 tackles. Jett Johnson is just outside the top-10 with 64, but with MSU's depth no one player will shine. 

Linebacker could be the position to determine this one.

Edge: Even

 

Secondary

 

MSU and Auburn have struggled with breakdowns in the secondary on occasion. Auburn has just five interceptions this season to MSU's 10, but both teams allow about 220 passing yards per game.

Edge: Even

 

Special teams

 

Special teams have become the talk of Starkville. What will MSU's kicking situation look like Saturday? MSU head coach Mike Leach said his team will hold tryouts next week after about 40 kickers showed interesting in joining State as walk-ons. Until then, Brandon Ruiz and Nolan McCord have worked on the basics such as the plant foot.

MSU returner Lideatrick Griffin's status for Saturday remains unclear. MSU might be 8-1 this season had it had an average special teams unit.

Edge: Auburn

O line edge Auburn? Mississippi State’s O-line must be really bad! Lol

[aubiefifty 17,488]

5 hours ago, AU-24 said:

O line edge Auburn? Mississippi State’s O-line must be really bad! Lol

let us hope so!