Top SEC Games: Week Four Edition
Sep 12, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) and his teammates prepare to take the field prior to the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi State VS Auburn
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
Game Time: Saturday, September 26 7:30PM ET
TV: ESPN2
As of this writing, Auburn has publicly replaced pre-season Heisman candidate Jeremy Johnson at quarterback with redshirt freshman Sean White. Sidenote: I’m like you, and still can’t believe the pre-season Heisman talk either for an unproven starter). Gus Malzahn and staff are clearly shaking up the scene down on the Plains after a very rocky start for the Tigers this season. Auburn legitimately could be 0-3 at this point, but have pulled out two close out of conference games against lesser competition before being SEC exposed last weekend against LSU.
Auburn’s troubles don’t just stop on the offensive side of the ball, as the defense has its own set of issues. Last
weekend, Leonard Fournette ran like a man possessed against the Auburn front seven that was supposed to be strong enough to cover up and extremely weak secondary. I mean sure it was Leonard Fournette, but who exactly has Auburn stopped to this point this year? No one. It’s a mess on both sides for the Tigers.
Auburn is going to have to look themselves in the mirror and accept they are what what the numbers they are.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Saturday night the Mississippi State Bulldogs invade the plains looking to win two in a row against the Tigers, and with a real shot to do so. Jordan-Hare Stadium can be intimidating at night, but the atmosphere may be rather mild considering the circumstances of the home team. Look for the Bulldogs to put Dak Prescott’s passing skills on display all night, as the Bulldogs will try to burn the Auburn secondary time and time again.
However, something to watch will be how the young, make-shift Mississippi State offensive line handles the talent on the Auburn defensive line. The question here is, will Prescott be given enough time to work from the pocket or will he be forced to move around? To this point, Prescott hasn’t run the ball much compared to last year. At what point does that begin to change, or does it even change this year? It’s hard to say what Auburn will do from an offensive standpoint, but one has to believe they aren’t going to continually hand the ball off every play. At some point Sean White will have to pass the ball — and that’s the biggest mystery for this game.
There’s a reason Jeremy Johnson started the season over White, and that should deeply trouble the Auburn faithful going into this game. Something tells me this game will be the tipping point for Auburn. A win gives hope, although little, while a loss kills any chances at pre-season goals. Mississippi State has a lot of fighting to do of their own, and are certainly eager to take down an SEC West foe on the road.
Next: What else of note?