This Saturday, Mississippi State football returns to Starkville for a matchup against the No. 24 Auburn Tigers. This game was rescheduled due to COVID-19 concerns within the Mississippi State football program after originally being scheduled for Nov. 14.
According to ESPN, Auburn has a 74.5% probability of winning with a -6.5 spread. The game will be televised on SEC Network at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Preview
Both Mississippi State football and Auburn come into the game with similar disappointing situations. Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has heavily disappointed in his first year with the Bulldogs, while Auburn head coach Guz Malzahn is concluding an underperforming eighth season.
Auburn is coming off of back to back losses to AP Top 5 teams in Alabama and Texas A&M. With their head coach on the hot seat, the Tigers are expected to play hard for Malzahn.
“I’ve got a job that I’ve said before expects to win championships, and I do too,” Malzahn said. “The years that you’re not in the mix, that’s just part of it. But I’m blessed to be here and excited about not only this game but I’m excited about next year.”
Meanwhile, for Mississippi State football, it had last week off after its game against Missouri was postponed to Dec. 19. However, the Bulldogs are also coming off of back to back losses to No. 12 Georgia and rival Ole Miss.
Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers has shown great growth and maturity as the season progressed, and he looks to continue that growth in this one. Rogers had his best game last week, throwing for 440 yards and three touchdowns in his first Egg Bowl and nearly upset Ole Miss. His 167 consecutive passes thrown without an interception is also the sixth-longest streak in the FBS currently.
The Mississippi State offense has played a lot better due to better handling of the football. The turnovers have slowed down as the Bulldogs have only turned the ball over once in the last three games.
The Bulldogs defense may be stout on the ground, but the last few weeks have proven that they are very susceptible to a strong passing game. With Auburn trotting out hometown hero Bo Nix, it could be another very long day for the Mississippi State secondary. The Tigers passing game also features one of the best wideouts in the conference in Seth Williams.
Prediction
Even though it’s coming off of back-to-back losses, Mississippi State is riding a hotter wave than Auburn. The Bulldogs as a whole have shown improvement while the Tigers have beaten up on who they should but haven’t been able to beat a decent team this season.
Rogers and the passing game finally look like what was promised by Leach’s air raid offense, and the offensive line’s improvement has gone a long way toward helping out the true freshman quarterback. Auburn hasn’t been the best defense at keeping its opponents out of the end zone, and that should continue for Mississippi State’s offense.
Though the offense has gotten better, the Bulldogs defense has seen a decline in their play at the end of the season. While not the most consistent, the explosive Auburn offense should be able to take advantage of the Bulldogs weak pass defense. Nix is one of the biggest highlight tape makers in the entire country, and he should be able to add a couple more to his reel before his season ends.
While momentum is everything in college football, talent will come out on top here, and the Auburn Tigers are easily the more talented team overall. State will keep it close, but Malzahn’s Tigers are going to get a much-needed win in their season finale.
FINAL SCORE: Auburn 34, Mississippi State 28
Photo courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications
My name is Colin Bailey and I’m a Los Angeles native and currently a Journalism Major/Sports Media Minor at the University of Colorado Boulder.