Mississippi State vs. Auburn: Tigers Last Second Win Proves SEC Is Most Exciting

What a game! 

In what had been seen by many analysts as the marquee SEC matchup of the weekend, unranked Auburn defeated No. 16 Mississippi State in a rousing display of offense and defense for both sides. Auburn found a way to victory for the 17th time in a row (and 10th in a row by eight points or fewer).

But this is just commonplace in the SEC.

With the last five BCS Championships going to an SEC team, many inter-conference games have had the atmosphere of a bowl game. Add in the SEC’s current moves for expansion, and one can start to get a picture of dominance the SEC has exerted over the rest of the BCS field.

With the ascendance of Andrew Luck in the Pac-12 and any number of other championship hopefuls throughout the Big Ten, Big-12 and other conferences, it is still understood that a team must go through the SEC to make it to the mountaintop.

This is why a matchup between a 16th ranked football team and an unranked opponent can create so much buzz and have such crucial implications. And these two squads certainly did not disappoint.

Auburn came into this matchup with a number of questions to answer following the departure of Heisman winner Cam Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley. What had become of the offense under new starter Barrett Trotter? Could they still compete in a packed SEC after needing an intense rally to take down Utah State?

They answered these in commanding fashion. 

Trotter threw two touchdown passes, including the deciding score to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, a 10-yard pass at the start of the fourth quarter. Running back Michael Dyer rushed for an emphatic 150 yards, including another two touchdowns.

The run was working from the other side as well, with a combined 568 yards rushing from both teams. In what was an amazing display of offensive prowess, the Bulldogs marched across the field for 531 total yards and 31 first downs.  

Chris Relf, the Bulldogs quarterback, threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns himself. Each quarterback also saw a pass picked for a score in the first half, showcasing the defenses these two SEC powers have assembled.

After an intense back and forth that saw the Tigers put up 14 points in the first five minutes followed by 21 straight from the Bulldogs, Mississippi State was trailing 41-34 with 10 seconds remaining, and staring at second and goal.

Relf decided to take it in himself, and once again, defense was key. The quarterback was pinned down just short of the goal line as time expired and the Auburn crowd erupted.

If the SEC has more of these in store for us, it is going to be an extremely exciting season. Auburn clearly unsettled the 16th ranked Bulldogs and may be on the way to a ranking of their own if they can keep this sort of play up. 

However, win or lose, the SEC was the big winner this Saturday.