Auburn Vs Mississippi State: It Won't Be Another 3-2 Game

After seeing his Tiger offense rack up 556 yards of total offense in last Saturday’s opener against Louisiana Tech, Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn had this to say: “We were disappointed that we put the ball on the ground twice,” Malzahn said.

“Those were big plays in the game. We also had two holding penalties that were critical on offense. Those are the things that stand out to me (after watching game film). We made some mistakes, but they are correctable, if we work hard.”

Trust me, they will work hard to correct this. After all, “Work Hard Work” is the coined phrase of the Gene Chizik regime. This isn’t to say they won’t fumble the football, but it won’t be because they haven’t worked to discipline themselves to hold onto the football.

The fumbles were more carelessness than anything, as they didn’t occur on big hits or above average defensive play. If the Offense can clean this up, they have an opportunity to do even greater things than last week.

Defensive Coordinator's will now have their hands full with the Tigers, seeing as how many people weren’t sure if Malzahn’s system would actually work. Through Week One, it definitely has.

Last year’s baseball like score of 3-2 saw a stingy Auburn defense hold the Bulldog offense scoreless. Through the defensive struggle, Auburn totaled a respectable 315 yards of total offense to MSU’s 116 yards.

With a revamped staff in Starkville, starting with former Florida offensive prowess Dan Mullen, the Bulldogs are a completely different team.Though it was Jackson State, MSU opened up with a 45-7 victory where they tallied 410 yards of total offense while operating under a two quarterback system.

Playmaking quarterback Chris Relf was the leading rusher for the Bulldogs while completing 7 of 10 passes. Tyson Lee, the second part of the quarterback tandem has been limited in practice this week due to shoulder soreness.

MSU will also return senior starting running back Anthony Dixon, who was suspended for Saturday’s opener.

Opposed to last season for both teams, the Tigers and Bulldogs have some firepower on the offensive side of the ball. This means that defensively, we will see at least somewhat of a different game than last year.

Seeing as how great SEC defenses are, neither team may put up near 40 points like last week, but it will be an exciting game to watch. Both teams acquired new head coaches, and have virtually changed the program in every aspect.

Auburn and MSU will both have the opportunity to throw kinks in the rough SEC West, and the bright spots they showed last week proves they will be no pushover to anyone.

The Tigers are the better team, though MSU is not far behind. Look for the Eagle to fly high once again, and Auburn to be too strong on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs.