Mississippi State football shows true potential in beating No. 8 Auburn

For the first time in weeks, the entire Mississippi State football team appeared capable of playing at a high level against a tough opponent in the SEC. The Bulldogs showed a glimpse of their true potential against Auburn.

When the Mississippi State football team took on the then 8th ranked Auburn Tigers, there were plenty of questions about the direction of the program. Rightfully so. The Bulldogs entered into the year with a ton of hype, potential, and promise. Joe Moorhead stepped into a program that was ready to win immediately and he was bringing up championships in seemingly every conversation that he had.

The Bulldogs then jumped out to a 3-0 start. Things were looking good for the most part for the Mississippi State football team, but there were obviously questions about how Nick Fitzgerald would continue to play in Moorhead’s offense once SEC play started.

Enter the Kentucky Wildcats.

Things went downhill in a hurry when the Mississippi State Bulldogs battled Kentucky. The two teams slugged it out in the first half, but MSU was worn down by a more physical opponent and far too many mental mistakes against the Wildcats. The Bulldogs lost by three touchdowns in a game that they conceivably could have won.

The next week, when Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators came to town, Mississippi State couldn’t score a touchdown. The Bulldogs’ offense appeared inept and ineffective when facing the head coach that built the offense to score on anyone.

That loss brought on calls for Moorhead’s firing from many fans. That loss sent shockwaves through the Mississippi State fanbase. The Bulldogs were supposed to be better than Mullen’s new team in 2018. That clearly wasn’t the case after Florida’s visit to Starkville, Mississippi.

All of those offseason discussions about championships were now a sore spot.

But this past weekend, when the Mississippi State Bulldogs, down on their luck with a 3-2 record, hosted the No. 8 Auburn Tigers, things changed. State started to look like the team from a season ago that won 9 games by running the ball right at its opponents and grinding them to a halt on defense.

There were new wrinkles to the offense, sure. But for the most part, everything felt familiar for MSU’s fans. Placing running backs out wide, bringing them in through motion, and running the ball in an option based offense gave Fitzgerald and Kylin Hill the chance to devastate Auburn’s typically stout run defense. It didn’t hurt that the Bulldogs’ offensive line played its best game of the season against one of the best defensive fronts in the country.

Now, the Bulldogs have earned themselves a nice bye week to get some rest and then get ready for a tough second half stretch. The Mississippi State football team showed that it can still play at a high level. It’ll need to continue to play at a high level against the remaining six opponents on the schedule.