Mississippi State vs. Auburn: Game Grades, Analysis for the Bulldogs and Tigers

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1) picked up an impressive 17-9 road victory over the Auburn Tigers (2-2, 0-2) on Saturday to avoid their second conference loss of the young season. 

Dak Prescott passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns in MSU's win, while the Bulldogs defense kept Auburn out of the end zone. 

Personnel Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	A-	B
Run Offense	C	C-
Pass Defense	A	B+
Run Defense	B+	C+
Special Teams	B	A-
Coaching	A	B+

Pass Offense: Prescott looks so comfortable in this offense. He is an efficient passer, capable of going downfield on occasion. The pass protection was terrific against Auburn, as illustrated by Prescott's stats, courtesy of the Clarion-Ledger's Michael Bonner:

Run Offense: MSU ran the ball 21 times for 56 yards. Brandon Holloway had 42 of those yards on just five carries. Why didn't head coach Dan Mullen run the ball more late in the game?

Pass Defense: Mississippi State's defense kept everything short and did not allow a big play in the passing game. Auburn's longest completion was 22 yards, with most of that was after the catch. 

Run Defense: Auburn is going to get its yards on the ground. The Tigers ran for 201 yards against MSU, but the Bulldogs' strategy was to make Sean White beat them. He didn't. Overall, the Bulldogs allowed four yards per carry.

Special Teams: MSU had few notable plays on special teams, but played a clean game in this area. Westin Graves did hit a big 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it a two-possession game. 

Coaching: Mullen relied heavily on his senior quarterback and that isn't a bad strategy. However, he should've ran the ball more in the fourth quarter. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz called a terrific game and pressured White rarely, but successfully. 

Personnel Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	C	C+
Run Offense	B+	A-
Pass Defense	C	B+
Run Defense	A-	A-
Special Teams	C	B
Coaching	B-	B

Pass Offense: White was solid in his first start. The turnover on Auburn's first drive was a back-breaker as the Tigers were poised to score. White stood tall in the pocket and went through his progressions. He improved as the game went on. 

Run Offense: The Tigers ran for 201 yards, of which 137 of those yards were from Peyton Barber. White isn't the athlete Jeremy Johnson or Nick Marshall is, but he is athletic enough to make plays on the ground to operate Auburn's offense at a high level. 

Pass Defense: The Tigers struggled against MSU's passing offense in the first half. However, they improved in the second half. Auburn limited Mississippi State's big plays in the passing game. Auburn's young secondary held up well. 

Run Defense: The Tigers weren't tested much on the ground. Auburn struggled to contain Brandon Holloway, as he averaged over eight yards per carry. Fortunately for the Tigers, he had just five carries. 

Special Teams: Daniel Carlson missed a chip-shot field goal early, but he redeemed himself with a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter. Those three points were crucial, though, as Auburn could've kept driving instead of attempting a field goal late in the fourth quarter. Malzahn discussed his team's red-zone performance as it relates to scoring (via SEC Country):

Coaching: Gus Malzahn didn't put too much pressure on White in his first career start. He needed to attempt a pass or two downfield, just to keep MSU's defense honest. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp had his unit ready. The Tigers' defense tackled well after a lackluster effort in the first three weeks.