2015 Mississippi State Football Rewind: Auburn

Sep 26, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott (15) passing against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the season is over, we take a look back at each game and how it played out.

The Setup

Auburn was a mess. The Tigers looked bad in a win over Louisville. They needed a last second touchdown to beat the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, and FCS school. And LSU and Leonard Fournette destroyed the Tigers.

To add to the intrigue, Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson, a player many dubbed as a Heisman type candidate, was playing awful football. Gus Malzahn made the difficult choice to bench Johnson and go with redshirt freshman Sean White as the starter against the Bulldogs.

Despite the mess the Auburn Tigers were, Mississippi State was still trying to prove to people the preseason predictions about them were wrong. Auburn entered the game as a two point favorite, and many people in the media were picking the Tigers because they HAD to win the game.

Key Stats and Final Score

• Mississippi State Yards
  • Passing: 270
  • Rushing: 56
• Auburn Yards
  • Passing: 188
  • Rushing: 201
• Mississippi State Stand Out Performances
  • Dak Prescott: 29/41, 270 Passing Yards, 2 Touchdowns
  • Fred Ross: 7 Receptions, 66 yards
• Auburn Stand Out Performances
  • Sean White: 20/28, 188 Passing Yards, 1 Interception
  • Payton Barber: 27 carries, 137 Yards
• Final Score: Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9

What we thought at the time

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Mississippi State’s game against Auburn was the very definition of a mixed bag. There was a lot to love, but there was also a lot of things people could point to as potential problems.

The thing that continued to worry people the most was the fact Auburn was able to run the ball. The 201 yards the Tigers gained in the game showed that Mississippi State was going to give up huge chunks of yards. On the opposite end, the Bulldogs continued to struggle on the ground to a team who was giving up lots of plays on the ground.

On the other hand, Mississippi State controlled the entire first half of the game after a Will Redmond interception in the end zone halted an impressive opening drive fro the Tigers. The Bulldogs led 14-0 at the half, but Dan Mullen turned on the cruise control and coasted to the win in the second half.

What we should have thought now the season is over

Mississippi State deserves credit for going on the road and winning. Auburn was going to improve little by little as the year went on, and the Tigers weren’t as bad as many had thought, especially after this game was over.

There was still a lot of hand wringing over the running game. A lot of fans were convinced this team wouldn’t win another game if they didn’t figure out how to run the football. It took a while, but this game should have been the one to signal to Mississippi State fans the running game simply wasn’t going to there for the Bulldogs in 2015.