Mississippi State Bulldogs

THE Mississippi State vs. Auburn Game Preview

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Mississippi State Bulldogs will host the Auburn Tigers this Saturday with kickoff set for 11:00 AM at Davis Wade Stadium.

BENEFIT OF A BYE

Dan Mullen teams have won four straight when coming off a bye week. During his tenure the Bulldogs are 6-0 when coming off a bye and not facing LSU or Alabama (0-3 combined vs. those two).

Could the extra week of preparation and rest propel State to a victory? Auburn completely over-matched ULM so it’s hard to say they played anything more than a glorified scrimmage last week.

FORCING NEGATIVE PLAYS

Auburn has allowed 40 negative plays on offense this year, which is the worst in the SEC. Mississippi State has 33 tackles for loss, which is tied for 3rd in the SEC (and have the 2nd best TFL per game average at 8.25).

So the Tigers are giving up 8 TFL/sacks per game and the Bulldogs are getting 8.25 TFL/sacks per game. These are huge in stopping drives when you get a team behind the chains.

CAN MSU’S O-LINE HOLD UP

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Auburn’s strength is their defensive line. Carl Lawson is the marquee player but they are all good….and the unit is deep. Add to it the linebackers who have played exceptional as well.

MSU’s offensive line has been average at best and mediocre most of the time. Forget creating holes – just find a way to hold blocks long enough for RBs to not get hit in the backfield and allow Fitzgerald enough time to find open receivers. TFL and sacks on this side of the ball are just as bad, obviously.

RED ZONE

Auburn knows how to get in the red zone, but they only score a touchdown 40% of the time when they get there – worst in the SEC. Last year this was the key to the game as they entered the red area five times and came away with three field goals.

Mississippi State’s defense is nearly as bad at giving up touchdowns in the red zone at 12th in the SEC. Will the Bulldogs be able to stop the Tigers when they get inside the 20?

GET LOUD

Look – this Mississippi State team isn’t as good as 2015’s team or 2014’s team or probably most of Dan Mullen’s teams. But that doesn’t mean the season is shot.

I know it’s an 11:00 AM kickoff. I know Bulldog Bash is the night before (but let’s be honest, most of you reading this aren’t even going).

This team needs a raucous crowd on Saturday morning and early afternoon. They need their spirits lifted and the Auburn offense needs to hear what they haven’t heard all year (because this is their first road game, incredibly). Who knows – their defense may not be quite as good without their home crowd behind them.

If we show up CLANGING away and really get into the game, I know we can help get a win. Let’s do it.