Five Reasons Auburn can beat Mississippi State
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Auburn welcomes the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Jordan-Hare Stadium this week. The Bulldogs are fresh off a road win at Arkansas, while the Tigers are coming off a disappointing home loss to Ole Miss.
If Auburn wants to pick up their first SEC win of the season, these five things need to come together.
The front seven needs to generate pressure
The defensive line has been playing really well this season, especially against the run, only allowing opponents 157.7 yards per game. Marcus Harris has led the way as the third highest-rated defensive tackle in the country according to Pro Football Focus. That trend should continue Saturday, but the front seven also need to get more pressure in the form of hurries and sacks. Jalen McCleod was rated as the highest edge pass rusher in the SEC last week, he'll need an encore performance this weekend.
Auburn must run the football
While the offense as a whole has consistently struggled this season, the Tigers ground game has performed reasonably well averaging 186 yards per contest. Surprisingly, that rushing attack is led by Payton Thorne with 354 yards followed closely by Jarquez Hunter with 328. The Tigers will need to exceed the 200-yard mark to win Saturday.
Win on special teams
Special teams are likely to play a large role in this game due to the struggles of each teams' offense. Oscar Chapman is a huge weapon for Auburn averaging 44.23 yards per kick with a long of 71. He has also been able to consistently pin opponents deep in their end of the field with only four touchbacks. Alex McPherson has been phenomenal in his few opportunities this year going six for six on field goals with a long of 53. If it's a low-scoring game, as many expect, field position and field goals will be critical to an Auburn victory.
Be better on third down
As stated in previous weeks, Auburn must improve on third-down efficiency on both sides of the ball. Against Ole Miss, Auburn's offense kept converting third and short into third and long because of ill-timed penalties. The Tigers must be able to flip the script this week and pick up first downs in short-yardage situations. On the defensive side, Auburn gave up multiple third and long conversions to the Rebels, one of which was a 3rd and 22. Against State, they must get off the field on third down, especially in the long yardage situations. The defense can win this game.
Turnovers
Auburn's secondary has been elite at creating turnovers this season, but they will get limited chances against MSU quarterback Mike Wright, who only had 12 pass attempts last week. While the secondary should get at least one pick, turnovers are more likely to come in the form of strip sacks and batting at the ball. Regardless of how they come, the Tigers will need to turn each one they get into points.
Recruiting pages to bookmark
2024 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations
2025 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations
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