One Fans Perspective: Auburn vs Miss State

by Rick Palmedo Sept 7th, 2012

  So the season didn't start quite the way Tiger fans expected it to but the good thing about college football is that , for the most part, there is only one week to wait until another game is played. Well, the week is over and game 2 is here.

  This will be the SEC opener for both teams and I look for a much improved Auburn team. I feel certain the breakdowns of a week ago have been addressed and we will see a much more potent offense and a tougher more disciplined defense.


 Here is a video from al.com of the team departing this afternoon for Starkville, MS.





AUBURN

  A lot of things went right for Auburn against Clemson. A steady running game, exceptional special teams, and an offense that shows flashes of brilliance.

  Unfortunately there was as much bad that happened that took away the chance at a victory. Poor tackling once again reared its ugly head and soft play by the defensive backs left receivers open all night. The offense made a couple of critical mistakes and really faltered in the red zone. Going 4/4 in the red zone is fantastic. Having those 4 scores be field goals is not.

  Auburn must come out and control the line of scrimmage allowing Kiehl Frazier time to read his progression and hit his open targets. Speaking of Kiehl, he must be more accurate with his passes and play with a little more poise.
 
 The running game can really be an asset in this game. 200 plus yards rushing and Auburn wins this game going away. The big boys up front must open running lanes for OMac, Trey, and Mike. My personal opinion is that the offensive line was stellar against Clemson considering the number of combined starts they had as a group.
 
 The defense must step up their game. It is up to the front seven to keep MSU bottled up and not allow the big plays we saw repeatedly against Clemson. Not having a Tajh Boyd type QB should help Auburn in this area.
 
 The defensive backs must be in position to make plays. They must help in stopping the run and on pass plays look for the ball and be able to break on it sooner than later.
 
 This game will be won up front. The big question is can Auburn's defense stop MSU' ground game forcing them to throw when they really don't want to do so.

MSU

  Playing a smaller school like Jackson State for their opener allowed MSU to stay vanilla an not show a lot of their playbook. That will change this week as Auburn is the team they have pointed to all summer.

  MSU will pull out all the stops to beat the Tigers and secure what would be a huge victory for Coach Dan Mullen and Co. Remember, the only victories MSU has over any team in the west have come against lowly Ole Miss. A win over the Tigers would set the tone for their entire season.

  Can the Bulldogs pull this one off? If Auburn continues to make the same mistakes it made last week the answer is yes.

  Will the Bulldogs pull this one off? I think the Tigers come out and execute and play a much more dominating type defense than we did last week and hold the Bulldogs in check. It'll be a tough, hard hitting affair but in the end Auburn' superior talent wins out.

AUBURN 27
MSU 17