College Football Breakdown: Auburn Tigers Vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
This week’s matchup is between the Auburn Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Two very productive offenses enter this game and after week one wins we know what they both are capable of. What is the defensive matchup for these two teams? Auburn gave up some passing yards on Arkansas State while the Bulldogs looked the part stopping Memphis and owning both sides of the ball throughout the game. Let’s take a look at the matchup and take a guess and who comes out on top.
Auburn Offense
1 of 10
Cameron Newton showed that he came to play ball on Saturday night. Against the Red Wolves he set a quarterback rushing record for the Tigers. With 171 yards on the ground he cruised the Tigers to victory. Newton added 186 yards through the air and accounted for 5 touchdowns in the game. Not only was it a strong showing but Newton made it only the sixth time that a Tiger quarterback has rushed for 100+ yards in a game.
The running back situation took a slightly different turn than most expected on Saturday. One fumble was all that it took for Mario Fannin to not see the field again at the running back position. In his stead true freshman Mike Dyer and sophomore Onterrio McCalebb split the majority of the carries. Dyer accumulated 95 yards and McCalebb reached 76.
With Fannin only getting 14 yards on the ground but making some catches and returning to last year’s receiving form, many have speculated that there may be a changing of the guard already. Don’t look too much into it just yet, although Dyer did look sharp in his first game.
The receiving corps as a whole did look complete which was an expected piece of this offense. Darvin Adams had some drops, granted they were in traffic, but overall he will return to form and did accumulate 58 yards in the game. A nice surprise in the bowl game last year was Quindarius Carr and he continued to impress in the opener accumulating 87 yards receiving and averaging over 9 yards a punt return.
Mississippi State Defense
2 of 10
On the defensive side of the ball Mississippi State held down the fort against Memphis. Only allowing 196 pass yards and 46 rushing yards was a pretty impressive showing. A big challenge looks to unfold Thursday against Auburn however. State’s defense found a playmaker in Charles Mitchell from the safety spot leading the team with 9 tackles.
With two senior linebackers the Bulldogs do have experience and leadership to lean on. The size of the middle of the defense is quite stout as well averaging around 240 pounds a backer. The defensive front has some younger guys but is cornered by Pernell McPhee, a senior leader as well. Look for a good battle to occur on the front as well in the middle of the field.
The defensive backfield for State is led by Charles Mitchell at safety and Damein Anderson from the cornerback position. Holding Memphis to 196 yards in the air was impressive but one should suspect that the talent is a little different this week. State has the playmakers to make this matchup challenging to say the least however.
Auburn O vs. Mississippi State D
3 of 10
Entering week two of the position battle discussion this one can be difficult to anticipate. The Auburn offense accounted for 608 yards in the season opener and really showed signs of brilliance. At times they also had their fair share of mix-ups and mistakes. Look for Mississippi State to turn the heat up this week and focus on stopping the Tigers running attack.
Cameron Newton looked brilliant in the opener but only attempted 14 passes total. Expect more attempts from the Tigers this game as it should be a necessity. As well as the Mississippi State defense performed against Memphis in the opener, Auburn still has the edge in this breakdown. Newton showed accuracy and touch on many throws and should be able to carry his weight not only on the ground but through the air as well.
Verdict: Auburn takes the edge in this head to head
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Mississippi State Offense
4 of 10
The Bulldogs offense leaped forward with improvement in the opener. Using a split quarterback system Dan Mullen’s offense flat showed up scoring 49 on Memphis. The split quarterback role was something Mullen used at Florida quite famously with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow and the split time between Chris Relf and Tyler Russell showed promise. The two combined for 372 yards in the air and completed 80 percent of the passes thrown.
The running back position was also played on a by committee basis producing 197 yards on the ground. Expect to see shared carries continue for the Bulldogs with LaDarius Perkins and Vick Ballard leading the charge. Robert Elliot looks to also be a contributor to watch in this game as well as Chris Relf out of the pocket.
This State offense has shown a lot of growth through last season and into the first game and it should be interesting to see how the production adds up this Thursday.
Auburn Defense
5 of 10
The Auburn secondary returned three guys from major injuries in the first game this season. Zac Etheridge showed some breakdowns as well as Savage, but overall the secondary played acceptable in the first game. There was a lot of dump passes in the game that replicated the Northwestern strategy from the bowl game which shows either similar game plans or a strategy than you can expect to see repeated in Auburn doesn’t change some things.
The linebackers showed some promise against Arkansas State but the first game also introduced the mysterious suspension of Craig Stevens. Eltoro Freeman started in his place and showed a large improvement over last year in the first week. Rumor is that Stevens may be back this week which would increase the experience factor and give the Tigers more options for good capable bodies in this game.
The front four stuffed the Arkansas State running game throughout the night and one could expect to see the same in week two. The front four had some redshirts and true freshmen play early which is good for experience but this week should show more of the veteran’s stuffing the holes in the line.
Mississippi State O vs. Auburn D
6 of 10
State showed that there talent and scheme has improved year over year. The big looming question is whether or not they are ready for SEC level competition. Can they chomp up the yards against a better than average defense.
Auburn was anything but brilliant giving away the short passing game to Arkansas State but don’t expect the same style of play from the Tigers. One would hope that the aggressiveness picks up and that a more complex game plan with some bump coverage shows up Thursday. i wouldn’t expect to see the Bulldogs to take away the game from the ground.
The Bulldogs will score in this game. They will accumulate some yards. With that being said, Auburn still seems to have the edge in this category as well. Even though Arkansas State got picked up some yards in the opener they attempted 49 passes. With the Bulldogs strategy of balance expect to see an even mix and shared duties but overall Auburn stops this offense when it matters most.
Verdict: Auburn again with the edge in this position matchup
Auburn Special Teams
7 of 10
The punting was a concern to start the season but Shoemaker showed up to play on last Saturday. He gave his kick coverage team plenty of time to make it down field and cover the punt forcing fair catches. That’s a good start to the season however reports are that Steven Clark may make the trip to Starkville this week.
Wes Byrum picked up right where he left off draining a short field goal and 7 extra points. The kickoffs were handled by freshman Cody Parkey and he looked sharp as well. Parkey put air under the kicks for good coverage and was consistently kicking to the goal line.
The return game looked better than last season but that is really just average. It is hard to find too much good in a fumble that was lost on a kickoff but overall kick returns went well and a 9.4 yard punt return average is much better than the 4 yards that was averaged last season. The Tigers definitely have shown some improvement on special teams but still have a ways to go.
Mississippi State Special Teams
8 of 10
Kicking duties were shared between State’s two kickers and both hit every kick. Derek DePasquale is the listed starter but Sean Brauchle played a bit as well. The Bulldogs averaged 39.5 yards a punt as well which was not a bad first game.
With Leon Berry and Chad Bumphis taking care of the return duties there is no doubt an explosive factor for the Bulldogs in the return game. These two playmakers have the ability to cause some havoc in the game if they find an opening and that could be a game changer.
Auburn ST vs. Mississippi State ST
9 of 10
Not much to compare for this category but if Auburn can hold on to the ball on returns and Mississippi State can do the same this position battle should be a wash. I don’t see one team truly having a large edge so far this season although Wes Byrum is considered one of the better place kickers in the nation.
Verdict: Draw
Coaching and Intangibles
10 of 10
Both of these coaches enter their second year at their respective schools. So far so good this season but this is a huge game for both this season for position in the SEC West standings. Whoever wins this one could get a leg up early and take their team in the right direction, toward Atlanta in December.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying this game determines the West just that it will help the winner and hurt the loser pretty bad this early in the season. Both teams bring spread offense philosophies to the game but Auburn is a more run based team with State leading the passing charge. Both staffs being so new it is hard to pick one over the other in scheme and actual coaching talent but Mullen and Chizik seem to be headed in the right direction for building a future of success at their schools.
Final game verdict: Auburn and Mississippi State battle early back in forth with scores. Expect this game to extend well into the second half but Auburn to put it away. Scoring will not be a problem for either team but Auburn gets the win and the defense shows up and makes plays when they count.
Auburn 38 Mississippi State 24
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