Auburn (2-1) might be struggling mightily, but it has a chance to turn its SEC season around with one big win over an SEC West foe who needs the game just as much. Like Auburn, Mississippi State (2-1) lost to LSU, and now it’s desperation time. 0-2 in divisional play will be a disaster for the loser. Check out the Auburn vs. Mississippi State prediction and full game preview.   

Auburn vs. Mississippi State Prediction & Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 26
Game Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
Network: ESPN2

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Why You Need To Care

Auburn is right where it’s supposed to be, even if it didn’t get there the way everyone expected.

There’s hardly any shame or any shock in losing to LSU in Death Valley, but the offensive struggles against the other Tigers – and the problems against Louisville and Jacksonville State to start out the season – meant a huge shift in philosophies and potential style with quarterback Jeremy Johnson – a preseason Heisman sleeper who represented the team at SEC media days – getting benched in favor of Sean White in an attempt to crank up the nation’s No. 113 offense. With San Jose State up next followed up by road games against Kentucky and Arkansas – both winnable games, all of a sudden, the season could turn back around with a win over the Bulldogs.

A loss would all but be a deathblow for Mississippi State with a road trip to Texas A&M up next week, but the schedule isn’t all that bad for the immediate future with three straight home games against Troy, Louisiana Tech and Kentucky. But first, coming up with a third straight win over Auburn would be a nice boost.

The Bulldogs had their chance to beat LSU, but couldn’t put the game away with a missed field goal in the final moments. The offense is working fine, Dak Prescott is being Dak Prescott, and the defense has been good enough. With Alabama and Ole Miss coming to Starkville, there’s still hope for a big season – as long as there’s a win this week.

Why Mississippi State Will Win

Auburn’s offense is getting all of the attention for its inability to move the ball, the lack of a running game, and the ineffective pass defense, but Jeremy Johnson doesn’t play defense. Leonard Fournette ran wild on the Tiger defensive front, but Jacksonville State and its spread offense provided major problems, too. The Mississippi State running game hasn’t been quite as effective as it needed to be at running back, but this is where Prescott starts to power and Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway need to get into the clear. Not helped by star defensive lineman Carl Lawson out, the Tigers are going to have problems.

Why Auburn Will Win

It was easy to for Mississippi State’s defensive front to stop Southern Miss and Northwestern State on the ground, but LSU and Mr. Fournette were a different story. Auburn might not have a Fournette, but the running backs are good enough and talented enough to start to come up with more big plays, and the addition of White adds a little more running to the mix than Johnson. Controlling the ball and controlling the clock have been major problems for Auburn so far, but Mississippi State has had a bigger problem so far, holding on to the ball for just 23:20 a game.

Player Who Matters

Is Sean White going to be ready to rock in his first snaps in his first game? Unlike Johnson – with the combination of skills and great size – White is a 6-0, 200-pound baller with excellent accuracy and good rushing ability to be used more as a pure runner at times. He was a big-time recruit two years ago and was expected to be the perfect fit for the Gus Malzahn system – down the road. His time is now.

What’s Going To Happen?

Can the addition of White into the lineup make all the difference? Sort of. Johnson was missing the open targets and was failing miserably on third downs, but he wasn’t the only problem. The quarterback change smells of desperation for a team that’s just not playing well overall. Dak Prescott vs. Sean White? Take No. 15.

Auburn vs. Mississippi State Score Prediction

Final Score: Mississippi State 27, Auburn 24, Line: Auburn -3, o/u: 55

Must See Rating: 5: 99 Homes – 1: The Intern … 4

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