In a game that ended with Chris Relf laying just a few inches short of the endzone, the Mississippi State Bulldogs’ demons of the SEC West became real again. It has been two full seasons since the gang from Starkville has beaten an SEC West team from outside of the Mississippi border and they will have to wait a little longer as they drop this past week’s game to the Auburn Tigers.
An Auburn Tigers team that, given what we know right now, was the Bulldogs’ best shot at ending their now nine game losing streak to the non-Missippi SEC West schools. This season was supposed to be diferent. This game was supposed to be different. This was the game where the Bulldogs were supposed to prove their Top 20 ranking and massive offensive showing against Memphis was not just a fluke. This was the game they exorcized the demon and proved they could play with the rest of the SEC West. This was supposed to be it.
Except it wasn’t.
The Bulldogs got down and stayed down. Even with their experienced secondary, their potent rushing attack and their spread mastermind head coach they couldn’t get over the hump. Things didn’t break their way. When they needed a big play they came up short, just like in 2009 and 2010. They will have to wait to give the nation proof that they belong.
As for the game itself, both teams revealed plenty. For Mississippi State, they have holes on defense. Both from a discipline and a players standpoint. While their secondary showed themselves well the defensive unit as a whole left Auburn pass catchers open in zones, showed poor discipline in their pursuit and got out of position giving up explosive plays to the Tigers. For Auburn, the offense is not a problem as Gus Malzahn worked his inventive magic time and again, on defense they showed they are capable when they stick to their technique.
Mississippi State did almost everything right in this game; they picked up 31 first downs, they piled up 531 yards of offense, they ran for 333 yards and they held on to the ball for a greedy 36 minutes. They got an interception returned for a touchdown, limited Auburn to just 146 yards through the air and held the Tigers to just four of twelve on third down conversions.
Their issue? Explosion plays. Auburn scored from 46 yards out on an Emory Blake reception, 35 yards out on a Michael Dyer run and the Tigers were able to keep grabbing chunks of yardage that kept Mississippi State on the field and drives going. The Bulldogs didn’t “play bad” but when you give up costly chunks of yards that allow Auburn to score, demoralize the defense and keep the young Tigers squad confident the game can go the other way.
Looking at the box score, for all the reasons mentioned, the Bulldogs should have won this ball game. They pushed Auburn around for most of the afternoon on The Plains and they got first down after first down after first down on their way to putting up 34. However, box scores are lying sumbitch in football because for all the first downs and the yards the fact remains that Auburn got timely play by their defensive front and forced Mississippi State to punt the football seven times on Saturday.
That’s a team piling up yards but coming away empty on the scoreboard. For all the criticism the Auburn front seven has taken early, and rightfully so, the players proved that when they concentrate, bow their necks and battle they are fully capable of getting off the field. The Tigers didn’t play great but, as we mentioned in our Match Up To Watch on Friday, the defensive linemen was able to defeat blocks and make tackles when their team needed them the most.
Especially on their game winning goalline stand.
