Mississippi St. vs Auburn College Football Handicapping
Getting a win against his former team surely tasted sweet, but Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers will face a much stiffer test this weekend when they open their SEC schedule against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-1) at Auburn Tigers (2-0)
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2013
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium
City: Auburn, Alabama
O/U Odds: 53
Spread: Auburn -6
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Coach Malzahn’s new team didn’t have much trouble taking care of the old one, cruising to a 38-9 victory, and putting an end to Alabama State’s nine-game winning streak.
Auburn compiled 301 rushing yards against Arkansas State. Running backs Cameron Artis-Payne and Tre Mason did most of the heavy lifting, compiling 102 and 99 yards respectively. Quarterback Nick Marshall connected on 10 of 17 passes for 147 yards, including a perfectly thrown 68-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates. He also added 53 yards rushing, but his night was marred by a fumble deep in Auburn territory.
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Expect the Tigers to lean heavily on their running game again in this contest, as they ease Marshall into his role as the team’s starter. One positive for the team to draw on is the fact that they scored on each of five trips into the red zone.
The Auburn defense bent but didn’t break against Arkansas State.
They allowed Red Wolves quarterback Adam Kennedy to complete 29 of 41 passes for 272 yards and rush for 74 more, but kept Arkansas State from reaching the end zone, holding them to just three field goals. The Tigers also kept a good Red Wolves rushing attack in check.
Arkansas State had four players rush for 100 yards in Week 1, but Auburn limited them to 150 rushing yards as a team, many of which came after the game was decided. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Mississippi State handled their business in Week 2, cruising past Alcorn State, 51-7. Quarterback Dak Prescott made his first career start in the game, completing 12 of 19 passes for 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and rushing for another 20 yards and a score before ending his day at the half.
The team’s regular starter, Tyler Russell, missed the game after suffering a concussion in the team’s opener against Oklahoma State. The Bulldogs didn’t miss him all that much, building a 37-0 lead by halftime.
Running back Ashton Shumpert rushed for 98 yards and a pair of scores in the game, while Nick Griffin add 54 yards and a score of his own.
The Bulldog defense held strong, limiting the Braves to just 30 yards of offense in the first half, and only two first downs entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams looked good in Week 2, but they’ll both be taking a big step up in class this weekend. Expect Mississippi State to do a better job of answering the bell.
The Tigers are 0-8 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS win.
The play: Mississippi State +6
