Auburn Football: Previewing the Mississippi State Game

The Auburn Tigers visit the No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs in their second game of the 2011 season. Saturday’s game, the SEC-opener for both teams, kicks off at 12:21 EDT from Auburn.

Both teams are coming off opening weekend victories, but under very different circumstances.

Auburn barely got by a scrappy Utah State team 42-38 after a late comeback, while Mississippi State dominated Memphis 59-14.

The Tigers will be looking for a win and a chance to get back into the Top 25 after last week’s mediocre start to the season. The Tigers fell out of the latest poll despite winning their first game.

The Opponent: Mississippi State

Mississippi State climbed a few spots up the AP Poll after Thursday’s win against Memphis, moving from No. 20 to No. 16 heading into Saturday’s game. Mississippi State rolled up a school-record 645 yards of offense in the win over Memphis.

The Bulldogs are expected to challenge for the SEC West title and will have a chance to make a statement with a win over the Tigers at home. A win will set up a huge game the following week at home against LSU.

The offense is led by dual-threat quarterback Chris Relf and running back Vick Ballard, one of the SEC’s best. They also boast a big-time playmaker at wideout in Chad Bumphis. The experienced defense features seven returning starters that forced Memphis into three turnovers last week.

Tigers vs. Bulldogs

The Tigers have won their last three games against the Bulldogs and are 59-23-2 overall against Mississippi State.

Auburn has won 17 of their last 18 SEC-openers, while Mississippi State has lost their last 11 SEC-openers. The Tigers are 13-2 in SEC-openers at home since 1980.

Auburn is also putting a 16-game winning streak on the line. The Tigers haven’t lost since falling to Alabama in their final regular-season game in 2009.

Trotter Faces Next Challenge

Quarterback was a big question mark heading into the season, but it appears the Tigers are set this season after a strong debut from junior Barrett Trotter.

Trotter was 17-of-23 for 261 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Utah State. The junior looked poised and comfortable in the offense, and was one of the few bright spots in a tough day for Auburn.

Trotter looked good against Utah State, but he’ll face a much bigger challenge this Saturday against the Bulldogs. Mississippi State held Memphis to only 174 yards passing in their first game. Trotter’s performance this week against an SEC defense will be a much better gauge of how he will fare this season.

Vick Ballard Ready to Run over Auburn

The SEC has plenty of talented running backs this season, but one who may go a bit under the radar is Mississippi State’s Vick Ballard.

The senior ran for 968 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, and he’s off to a great start in 2011 with 166 yards and three scores against Memphis. Ballard was named SEC Player of the Week for his efforts.

Auburn struggled against Utah State’s running game, and unfortunately they won’t get any respite with Ballard on Saturday. Look for him to see plenty of touches while Mississippi State puts Auburn’s young defense to the test.

Tigers Need to Get Running Game Going

One of the most surprising developments from the Utah State game was Auburn’s struggles at running the ball.

The Tigers only compiled 78 yards rushing, led by 58 yards from Michael Dyer. The game snapped a streak of 27 consecutive games where Auburn had more than 100 yards rushing. Despite an almost entirely new offensive line, the Tigers had to expect more from a running game that was supposed to be the strength of the offense.

Getting the running game going against Mississippi State will obviously be a priority. Look for both Dyer to see more carries early after Onterio McCalebb got the start against Utah State.

Bulldogs on the Rise?

Mississippi State has traditionally been one of the weaker programs in the SEC, but the program is poised for a big season under promising head coach Dan Mullen.

The Bulldogs posted their best record since 1999 last season, and they’ll enter Saturday’s game at their highest rank in the polls since November of the 2000 season.

A win on the road over Auburn will show plenty of doubters that the Bulldogs are a legit threat to reach the SEC title game.

Auburn Defense Looks for a Rebound

To put it simply, Auburn struggled on defense in their opening game. The Tigers’ defensive line was totally ineffective against Utah State's running backs, resulting in 227 yards rushing and five touchdowns. The pass rush also failed to get much going with only one sack.

With one game of experience under their belts, Auburn will be looking for a big improvement against Mississippi State. They’ll have their work cut out as the Bulldogs look to be a much more talented offense on paper than Utah State.

One key addition for Auburn on Saturday will be the presence of veteran linebacker Eltoro Freeman. Freeman was ineligible for the Utah State game due to an administrative error.

Chris Relf Ready for a Big Year

The Bulldogs will be led by a veteran quarterback in senior Chris Relf. Relf is a threat at both passing and running the ball, and Auburn will have to limit his impact in order to pull out a victory.

Relf, who took over as the starter early last season, finished 2010 strong and continued the momentum last week against Memphis. He threw for 202 yards and two scores and also ran for 51 yards.

Over his last four games going back into last season, Relf has a quarterback rating of 180.8 with 995 yards and eight touchdowns. The Tigers will need improvement to stop Relf after they looked average at best against a true freshman making his first start for Utah State.

Auburn Special Teams off to a Good Start

The excellent play of Auburn’s special teams saved them from defeat against Utah State. The team will aim for some more big plays in a tougher game against Mississippi State.

Freshman Tre Mason looks like he could be an impact player in the return game after taking back a kick 97 yards for a touchdown against Utah State. Kicker Cody Parkey looks to have a big-time leg, although he has yet to attempt a field goal this season.

The Tigers also perfectly executed a crucial onside kick against Utah State, although Auburn fans hope they won’t have to resort to similar tactics to get past Mississippi State.