Auburn Demons will be Exorcised or Multiplied This Saturday in Starkville for Mississippi State

Dan Mullen and his Mississippi State Bulldogs are on a tear.  Mullen, who was constantly criticized for not beating top 25 teams, has responded like Neo in a Matrix mini-series.  It’s as if Mullen is Neo and he has just decided he’s had enough of Mr. Smith and is now wearing him out.

Not only did the Bulldogs beat LSU, but they dismantled the Tigers in Tiger Stadium; check.  Tired of Kevin Sumlin wearing you out?  Let’s wear them Aggies out; check.

The Bulldogs now find themselves the third best team in the country, with a real Heisman Trophy candidate and your reward?  How about those ghastly Auburn Tigers.

You know those Tigers right?  Those Tigers that are “all in” and seem to win every tight ball game they play; those Tigers who played for the National Championship this past year and won the darn thing in 2011.

Those same Tigers that got Cam Newton when he was supposedly Mississippi State bound.  And those same Tigers that are 4-1 against Dan Mullen during his time in Starkville.

Take out the first year Mullen was in Starkville, where the Bulldogs lost 49-24 and the 2012 season where the Bulldogs beat the Tigers 28-10 and this series over the last few years has been highly contested, with Auburn coming out on top every time – at the very last moment.

Remember 2010 when Cam Newton came to town and the Bulldogs were upended 17-14?  The Bulldogs did everything they could that ball game to keep it close.  The Bulldogs had a chance on the last drive and Chris Relf mis-read Leon Berry on a slant route that would have scored and threw an errant pass.

How about 2011 and the “stand” Auburn had on the Plains?  Chris Relf had a chance at the end to score but was stopped short of the goal line.  As time ran out, and the Bulldogs couldn’t stop the clock, Auburn walked away with a 41-34 victory.

Then just last year, in Dak Prescott’s first start as a Mississippi State Bulldog, MSU played well enough to win, but lost on the last play of the game, 24-20.

Before coming into the season, LSU was the definite thorn in the side, but Auburn has been the Bulldogs heartbreak hotel.

This week Number-2 Auburn returns to Scott Field for the biggest game in Mississippi State football history.

College Game Day will be on hand, it’s a 2 verses 3 match-up and the winner gets the upper hand in the SEC West and stays in the National Championship Playoff hunt.

This is also, for all intense and purposes a Heisman elimination game.  Dak Prescott for the second straight week faces off with another Heisman hopeful in Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall.

Both are dual threat quarterbacks and both teams run the ball and play great defense.  These two teams are mirror images of one another and yes the Bulldogs have the home field advantage this time, but Auburn is used to these moments; they live for them.

So as all eyes point to the State of Mississippi for the second straight week, we will be watching and hoping, this will be the year the Bulldogs can slay the Auburn demons.

With so much riding on this ballgame, a win would erase all the heartache the Tigers have caused the Bulldogs over the last few years.  A win here gets the Bulldogs to another bye week undefeated.  A win here makes the Bulldogs arguably the best team in college football and a win here moves Dak Prescott on up the Heisman ladder.

There is so much we can talk about on what a win would do for this program over Auburn.

I don’t think I even have to tell you what a loss would do.  Let’s not go there, as we all know.  Let’s hope those demons are slayed this coming Saturday.