The Tigers need to tackle and tackle very well

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2 Minute Drill: Auburn looking to rebound with Miss. State coming to town

 

For a defense that finds itself 24th nationally in scoring defense and 16th nationally in red zone touchdown percentage, allowing just 15 touchdowns in 33 red zone possessions, Coach Derek Mason’s group will have its hands full on Saturday morning against a Mississippi State offense that is playing very well in the second year of the Mike Leach era in Starkville.

Fourth in the country in passing offense at 376 yards per game, the Bulldogs are led by quarterback Will Rogers, who is completing 75 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. The team with the most passing attempts this season, Mississippi State’s offense will put the pressure on the Auburn defense.

The first order of business for the Tigers is to tackle and tackle very well.

TACKLE

Mississippi State throws the ball more than any team in the country, but they average just 6.9 yards per attempt. That’s exactly the same number as Auburn is averaging this season. The Bulldogs have just nine passing plays of 30 yards or more, two less than Auburn has this year.

What does that mean? They are an offense that can complete passes, but has a problem making big plays. That’s how you find yourself 72nd in scoring offense despite the big offensive numbers through the air. That’s the plan for the Tigers again this week. When Mississippi State completes the underneath throws, Auburn has to get them on the ground. Do that and you force the Bulldogs to put together long drives of multiple plays to score. As we have seen with Auburn’s offense, that ups the difficulty dramatically.

TURNOVERS

Through nine games this season, Auburn’s defense has forced just eight total turnovers. With an offense that is struggling at the moment, getting the ball back and giving Bo Nix and company extra possessions is a huge piece of the puzzle for success. Offensively, Auburn has turned it over just nine times. That’s tied for 22nd nationally.

When you look at success, one of the things that can often be the difference for teams is turnover margin. Cincinnati leads the nation in that category with UTSA, Wake Forest, Oregon, Houston, Oklahoma, Alabama, BYU, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Baylor, Michigan State and Pitt all in the Top 30 nationally. If Auburn’s defense wants to take things to the next level, creating turnovers is a big way to change a game in a hurry.

TRESPASS

One of the ways to create turnovers against a team that is going to throw the ball 50+ times is to get after the quarterback. Mississippi State is tied for 98th nationally this season, allowing 25 sacks in nine games. On the flip side, Auburn is 47th in the country with 22 total sacks as a team. The group that wins this battle on Saturday may just determine the game.

Last season in a 24-10 victory in Starkville, Auburn’s defense had six sacks for 45 yards in losses and eight total tackles behind the line of scrimmage. For an offense that isn’t a big play group, Mississippi State needs to stay on schedule much like the Tigers do. Putting them in second and third and long situations means holding onto the ball longer to allow routes to develop. That’s an opportunity for Derick Hall, T.D. Moultry, Eku Leota, Colby Wooden, Marcus Harris and company to get home.

This could also be the game that Auburn’s linebackers get heavily involved in the pass rush. This season ZaKoby McClain’s two sacks are it for the trio of him, Owen Pappoe and Chandler Wooten. That group needs to have an impact on the pass rush in this game to help the Tigers come out of Saturday’s game with a victory.

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