game day SEPT. 30 — TIGERS VS. BULLDOGS
The Auburn Plainsman
Tiger Walk
3 p.m.
Four Corners
3:45 p.m.
March Around
4:02 p.m.
Eagle Flight
4:43 p.m.
Pregame
4:46 p.m.
Kick Off
4:46 p.m. MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
GAME PREVIEW
Tigers, Bulldogs meet in pivotal SEC clash MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
The Auburn Tigers celebrate after Kamryn Pettway’s (36) touchdown during Auburn Football vs. Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Auburn,Ala.
S umner Martin SPORTS WRITER
Riding a breakout performance for the offense Saturday night in Columbia, the Auburn Tigers hope to ride the momentum as the No. 24 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs come to town. For Mississippi State, it has already been an up and down year. The Bulldogs followed up a 37-7 home blowout win against LSU with a 31-3 loss on the road to Georgia in which they were dominated in every aspect of the game. Auburn, on the other hand, is coming off its best offensive performance of the year. After three weeks of criticism, the Tigers stomped Missouri 51-14 in their SEC opener to give head coach Gus Malzahn and the fan base a small sigh of relief. Both teams need this game for different reasons. Mississippi State is looking to rebound from what was an embarrassing performance in Athens, Georgia, and keep this from spiraling into another mediocre season. Auburn is looking for more of the same on both sides of the ball, and if Malzahn wants his job by the end of the year, this is just one of the games the team can’t lose at home. As it is with most games, all eyes will be on the starting quarterbacks. This game offers an elite match at up at the
most important position, with arguably two of the most talented quarterbacks in the conference going head-to-head. The Bulldogs are led by Nick Fitzgerald, who until last week had looked like the best quarterback in the SEC. At home against LSU, the junior dual-threat QB threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more, but it was a different story last week. Georgia harassed Fitzgerald all night, only giving up three points and 83 passing yards, while forcing two interceptions. “I think he was getting through reads too quickly and almost skipping guys to get through the check-downs,” Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said. “It’s like, I went from my first read of progression to my fifth read of progression and didn’t really pay much attention to two, three and four.” Fitzgerald’s counterpart, Jarrett Stidham, looks to stay hot and gain even more momentum as SEC play begins to ramp up. Stidham has been on fire the past two games completing over 80 percent of his passes, while going 32 of 37 for 364 yards against Mercer, and 13 of 17 for 218 yards against Missouri. “He’s a good football player,” Mullen said. “One of the things is you know the kind of talent he has, but he’s a guy who’s starting to get comfortable from week to week. He’s a
guy that has experience out there on the field and has made a lot of big plays even before he got to Auburn. Now you’re starting to see him getting more comfortable with their system because it’s different than the system he ran before.” The quarterback is the leader on the field and the team usually goes as they go. Whichever one outduels the other could very well be the difference in the game. Strictly speaking on the defensive side of the ball, Auburn has the advantage. The Mississippi State defense showed no resistance last week against Georgia, giving up 31 points, over 200 yards through the air and 200 on the ground. Auburn’s defense is overflowing with confidence after shutting down Missouri’s offense all night, especially in the trenches, giving up only 124 yards on the ground and just 14 points. “They have a bunch of really, really talented guys,” Mullen said. “They do a nice job of scheming and making sure they’re in position. Most of them are national players. They have talented, NFL-style players. “Those guys are pretty good at disrupting things.” When you look at the defensive side of the ball, there is not much of an argument on which unit is more talented.
» See PREVIEW, 3
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman:Game Day vs. Mississippi State
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PREVIEW » From 2
The Tigers are deeper top-to-bottom at almost every position, which is why the Bulldogs may have more of a problem moving the ball, more so than the Tigers, especially since the game is being played in Jordan-Hare. Now everyone wants to rave about the Auburn offense following a 51-point performance at Missouri, and how they are back. The key to the game is going to be how Nick Fitzgerald can adapt to this Auburn defense. Nick Fitzgerald is very talented, but he showed some of his flaws last week throwing two interceptions on the road and failing to adapt to the Georgia defense. He won’t get any break this week when he faces the Auburn defense in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn ranks fourth in the nation in total defense, behind Clemson, UTSA and Michigan. The Tigers give up just under four yards per play on average and just over 236 yards of offense per game. “They’re really good, like what we saw this past weekend,” Fitzgerald said. “They’re going to play multiple defenses and kind of switch it up. They’re big, fast, strong, physical – everything about an SEC defense.” The Auburn offense should be able to score against the Mississippi State defense; that won’t be what people are questioning. The question lies with the Mississippi State offense. This offense has the chance to rebound and earn a huge upset win on the road, but if Nick Fitzgerald and the Bulldog offense have a repeat performance of last week, then it could be a long game. An SEC home-opener against a Mississippi State team, who is running low on confidence, may be just what this Auburn football team needs. After falling short at Clemson, this is a game that Auburn and Coach Malzahn cannot afford to lose when looking at the schedule ahead. This is just one of two crucial games at home that the Tigers need to win before traveling to the other Death Valley in a matter of weeks to face the LSU Tigers.
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
Kamryn Pettway (36) runs the ball during Auburn Football vs. Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
secstandings
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
SEC EAST 1st - Florida (2-1, 2-0) 2nd - Georgia (4-0, 1-0) 3rd - Kentucky (3-1, 1-1) MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTO EDITOR
4th - South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 )
Daniel Carlson (38) kicks the ball during Auburn Football vs. Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 in Auburn,Ala.
Malzahn: ‘He’s back’ Tigers’ Carlson boots pair of 50-plus yarders vs. Mizzou Peter Santo SPORTS WRITER
When the SEC football season unofficially kicked off at Media Days, each school chose three of its highest-profile players to represent the team. While most schools went with skill position players or student-athletes who make a big impact on defense, Auburn went outside the box, choosing kicker Daniel Carlson to represent his school alongside offensive lineman Braden Smith and cornerback Tray Matthews. This may seem like high praise for the senior kicker from Colorado Springs, Colorado, but Carlson has certainly earned it. After struggling to live up to the hype early in the season—he missed two field goals in the season opener against Georgia Southern and missed a 26-yarder against Mercer—Carlson bounced back with three field goals against Missouri, including two from 50-plus. “I think it was more of him just pressing earlier in the season, like I talked about earlier,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “[Carlson had] two 50-yarders that probably would’ve been good from 60. He’s back.” Carlson’s 386 career points are a school record, and the senior has singlehandedly saved many games for the Tigers over the years. In last year’s game against LSU, Carlson tied an Auburn and SEC record with six field goals as Auburn de-
feated the Tigers 18-13 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He also made four field goals against Ole Miss and Alabama and three against Vanderbilt. In 2014, Carlson kicked in all 13 games and punted in 12 games, as he became the first Tiger specialist to do punting, placekicking and kickoffs since Damon Duval did it from 1999-2002.
5th - Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) 6th - Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1) 7th - Missouri (1-3, 0-2)
SEC WEST 1st - Alabama (4-0, 1-0) 2nd - Auburn (3-1, 1-0) 3rd - Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0) 4th - Miss. State (3-1, 1-1 ) 5th - LSU (3-1, 0-1) 6th - Ole Miss (2-1, 0-0)
ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Daniel Carlson (38) lines up a field goal in the first half.Auburn vs Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 9 in Clemson, S.C.
7th - Arkansas (1-2, 0-1)
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
Jarrett Stidham heating up Auburn’s QB1 on a tear in his last two games
83.3
Zach Tantillo SPORTS WRITER
Two weeks ago, after the abysmal offensive showing against No. 2 ranked Clemson when Auburn only gained 117 total yards, quarterback Jarrett Stidham only passed for 79 yards and was sacked 11 times. The Baylor transfer started off rocky, but after giving whole control on the offense to Chip Lindsey and moving Lindsey up to the press box where he is most comfortable, Stidham has improved week-to-week. Stidham had the second most efficient passing game in SEC history against Mercer, finishing 32-for-37 for 364 yards and at one point connecting on 18 consecutive passes, an Auburn record. This performance was largely over shadowed by the five turnovers, but Coach Malzahn recognized Stidham’s underlying success. “You can see him progressing each week,” Malzahn said. “I thought he did a very good job and he threw into some tight windows.” Though Stidham’s success came against a FCS team in Mercer, his true test was SEC competition. This opportunity came against Missouri, where he shined in a dominating victory 51-14. Stidham completed 13-of-17 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown. Stidham and the offense utilized the big play and did so quickly, with the first play of the game being a 58-yard pass to Kyle Davis. Stidham connected on a trio of 40+ yard passes, which now serve as Auburn’s three longest passing plays of the season. The quarterback did not only find his success in the deep ball, he found it when throwing on first down. Stidham was 5-for-5 for 166 yards and a touchdown on first down passes, with a passer rating of 444.9, the second best in the last 314 Auburn football games. Malzahn knew it would not be immediate for Stidham to get used to the speed of the game. “There’s nothing like a real game,” Malzahn said. “To go out there and play another team and different things that go with it and communication up front, communication with your teammates, taking command of the offense.” The redshirt sophomore has found his niche in Lindsey’s system, and attributes the newfound success to the athleticism and talent of his skill position teammates. “Just getting it out quick and getting it into those guys’ hands,” Stidham said. “They’re the playmakers, so I just want to get it in their hands and let them do the work.” Stidham and the offense is heating up at just the right time, as Auburn heads into the bulk of conference play and is set to take on No. 24 Mississippi State and fellow dynamic quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. The showdown with the Bulldogs comes at a crossroads for Auburn, at which the team could trend drastically upward or fall back into “middle-of-the-pack” conversation. The No. 13 Tigers and No. 24 Bulldogs will kick off at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
completion percentage over last two games
18
consecutive completions vs. Mercer, most in program history
2
passes of 50+ yards vs. Mizzou, matches 2016 total
444.9 passer rating vs. on first downs vs. Mizzou
1st
1-0
record in the SEC
in the SEC in completion %
ADAMS SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
ADAM SPARKS / PHOTOGRAPHER
Jeff Holland (4) and Steven Roberts (14) lead the Tigers out of the tunnel. Auburn vs. Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 2 in Auburn,Ala.
Tigers defense pushing historic pace Tyler Roush SPORTS REPORTER
A season-opening victory over Georgia Southern and, in turn, the following week’s loss to defending national champions Clemson, proved that this Auburn defense has the potential to be historic. Georgia Southern’s 78 total yards is tied for the second-fewest allowed by Auburn, and is one of seven times the Tigers has held an opponent to under a hundred yards. The last time Auburn’s defense pulled that off was against Ball State in 1991 when Pat Dye was head coach. The Eagles’ eight passing yards are the fifth-lowest allowed by Auburn, the least since Vanderbilt had seven in 2001. In addition, it was the first time since LSU in 2014 that Auburn held an opponent without a third-down conversion, Georgia Southern failing to move ahead of the chains on 15 attempts. Up to week four against Missouri, Auburn had yet to allow 300 total yards. No. 2 Clemson, who only managed to put up an arguably tough 18 points, had 286 yards. Auburn is ranked No. 4 in the nation in total defense, allowing just 236.3 points per game and is ahead of the No. 1 team in the nation, Alabama. To put that in perspective, an undefeated 2004 team averaged 277.6 yards per game while holding opponents to a 28.6 thirddown conversion percentage. That team only allowed 14 points just once the entire season —Tennessee in the SEC Championship with 28 points — en route to being denied a ticket to the BCS National Championship. This team has held opponents to a 30.6 third-down percentage, allowing just 19 of 62 total attempts. The 2010 BCS National Championship team held opponents to 368.4 points per game. That team did not have as many defensive standouts but relied on defensive tackle Nick Fairley, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, to quarterback comeback efforts and destructive victories.
No other Auburn team will ever compare to the efforts of Mike Donahue’s 1914 squad. “Iron Mike’s” defense held all nine of their opponents without a single point, utilizing one of the first forms of the defensive end position by moving his halfback, Richard “Bull” Kearley, to the defensive line.
2017 AUBURN DEFENSE 4th Total (236.3 yards per game) 10th Passing (138.8 yards per game) 17th Rushing (97.5 yards per game)
P
7th Scoring (11.3 points per game)
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
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Teamates, coaches confident in QB Willis Wesley Foster SPORTS WRITER
In the wake of Sean White’s dismissal from the program, Malik Willis has become the backup quarterback for the Auburn Tigers. Willis, an early enrollee last spring, is a freshman in his first full season with the team. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said that in a “perfect world,” Willis would receive a redshirt, but due to the dismissal of Sean White, that is no longer possible. Should starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham sustain an injury this season, Willis will take over. “If it’s a long-term injury, Malik Willis will be the next guy in,” Malzahn said. “Malik’s ready and Malik, like I’ve said before, has impressed us numerous times and he’s got a lot of practice reps. I think he’ll be ready to go if called upon if there’s an injury.” Willis was a three-star recruit coming out of Roswell High School in Georgia. His senior year he passed for 2,562 yards, rushed for 1,033 yards and accounted for 37 total touchdowns his senior year. The dual-threat quarterback has been with the team since last spring, and although he had never played in a collegiate game, Willis found success in last year’s spring game. He finished with a stat line of 11-18 for 157 yards with five passes of 15 or more yards. “I just see him having a great career here,” wide receiver Nate
Craig-Myers said following Auburn’s 2017 spring game. “He’s a guy who is going to make plays with his feet and also his arm.” The freshman quarterback has drawn comparisons to former Auburn star Nick Marshall, due to his rare ability to run and pass at an equally high level. Willis currently touts Marshall’s infamous jersey No. 14. Ahead of Auburn’s SEC opener at Missouri, the redshirt of Willis has yet to be burned. Malzahn and the Auburn staff are hesitant, and plan to use careful judgment regarding the freshman phenom. “We’ll see how each game unfolds,” Malzahn said. “He’s gotten all the No. 2 reps, really, the whole season.” Earlier in the week, Malzahn announced that wideout Ryan Davis, the SEC’s leader in receptions this season with 19, will take over at the No. 3 QB spot behind Willis. Like Willis, Davis boasts an impressive high school stat sheet under center. Walk-on freshman Devin Adams, who played a few snaps against Georgia Southern, rounds out the quarterback carousel. “It’s creepy because he really does remind everyone of Nick Marshall,” Auburn tailback Kerryon Johnson said. “He’s such a smooth quarterback and, the thing with Malik is he just has supreme confidence in himself.” In Auburn’s SEC opener against Missouri, Willis checked into the game late in the third quarter, offically burning the redshirt and
cementing the freshman as Auburn’s backup QB. Willis’ first play of the game was one that Tiger fans will never forget, as the speed of the dual-threat QB flashed on a read-option keeper. Willis darted around left end for a first down. He was ripped down by his facemask at the end of the play. “We’ll see how each game unfolds,” Malzahn said. “He’s gotten all the No. 2 reps, really, the whole season.” Auburn handled Missouri enough to warrant playing time for the second-string offense, and thus Willis saw action in his first collegiate game. The shiftiness in the open field exposed Auburn fans to the legitimacy of the Nick Marshall comparisons made by the coaching staff in camp. Willis looked the part of a true dual-threat quarterback, keeping it on the read-option multiple times in the contest, something that Stidham seems at times reluctant to execute. Malzahn announced that wideout Ryan Davis, the SEC’s leader in receptions this season with 19, will take over at the No. 3 QB spot behind Willis. Like Willis, Davis boasts an impressive high school stat sheet under center. Walk-on freshman Devin Adams, who played a few snaps against Georgia Southern, rounds out the quarterback carousel. Davis has yet to receive control of the offense under center and is currently listed as the third option on the roster.
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
Behind enemy bylines: No. 24 Mississippi State Will Sahlie SPORTS EDITOR
Taylor Rayburn, sports editor at The Reflector, answered a few questions from The Auburn Plainsman ahead of Auburn’s matchup with Mississippi State this Saturday. Nick Fitzgerald has made lots of headlines in the preseason and following the Bulldogs’ win over LSU. Could you give us a scouting report on Fitzgerald and the Mississippi State offense? The easiest comparison for Auburn fans is that Nick Fitzgerald is similar to Tim Tebow, in regards to the type of player he is, not in skill. Tebow is an all-time great and I am not saying Fitzgerald is on that level, but they have a similar skill set. The main difference between Fitzgerald and Tebow is that Fitzgerald is much faster in the open field and is a very good downhill runner. While not very quick, Fitzgerald has long strides and once he picks up speed, can out run a surprising amount of defensive backs. The goal to stopping his running game is not letting him pick up any momentum. While Fitzgerald can run the ball well, he struggles to throw the football. Georgia was able to stop Fitzgerald and the MSU run game, forcing MSU into third and longs. Fitzgerald has great accuracy under seven yards, but sees a massive drop off past that. MSU’s offense has a fantastic one-two punch in the run game between Aeris Williams and Fitzgerald, but struggles in the passing game. MSU’s receivers are, for the most part, shorter than six feet, and this, coupled with Fitzgerald’s struggle with downfield passing game, makes it hard for MSU to stretch the field vertically. Expect a heavy dosage of runs with just enough play action passes to keep the defense honest. MSU looked like two different teams at home and on the road in Athens. Have the Bulldogs addressed this, and what will they do to bring that home energy to Jordan Hare Stadium this weekend? I do not think their goal is to necessarily bring that energy to Jordan Hare because there is not a way to bring the energy you have at home on the road. What MSU will do is take the sting from Saturday’s loss, which is still there, and use it to bring energy to the field. The biggest thing for MSU to do is to not start slow. MSU got down early on the road at Louisiana Tech and at Georgia. Against LA Tech, they were able to take the game back to blow out LA Tech. The opposite happened against Georgia, MSU got down 14-0 early and never recovered. They need to score early and kill the energy in the
building before Auburn can pick up momentum. Can you give a scouting report on the Bulldogs’ defense? For MSU’s defense it all starts and ends up front with Jeffrey Simmons. Simmons has arguably been the best defensive lineman in the conference as the nose guard of Todd Grantham’s aggressive 3-4 defense. He is tough to block in one-on-one match-ups, requiring double and sometimes triple teams. He was not as dominant against Georgia, but on Monday after practice he said the issue was more so technique on his end than what they were doing. He opens up space for edge rushers Gerri Green and Montez Sweat to get one-on-ones. MSU’s success on defense will come down to Green, Sweat and the other edge rushers winning those matchups with the Auburn tackles. The weakest link for MSU’s defense is pass coverage. The secondary is great in run support but sometimes becomes too aggressive and can get burnt over the top. Safety Mark McLaurin and Jonathan Abram fly around the field making tackles and breaking up passes, but struggle to maintain discipline and get caught looking into the backfield. Overall the way to beat this defense is to take advantage of MSU through the air. The MSU defense is far better than last season’s, but still has room to grow. What are the keys for Mississippi State Saturday night to pull off the upset at Auburn? As mentioned above, get on the board early and drain the energy from the stadium. They also have to get running back Aeris Williams going. Williams is a workhorse back, who needs a lot of carries. When he is going, MSU’s offense is close to unstoppable. He takes pressure off of Fitzgerald and gives opposing defenses something else to worry about when MSU runs the read option. MSU also has to get back to using their tight ends in the passing game. Against LSU, Fitzgerald was able to find MSU’s big-bodied tight ends over the middle of the field to get into a rhythm. Against Georgia, tight ends Jordan Thomas and Farrod Green were nowhere to be seen. They have to be involved for MSU to win. On defense, MSU has to get pressure up front. If Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham has time to throw, he will pick apart the MSU defense. Simmons and crew have to create pressure and force Stidham into bad throws. Score prediction? MSU is yet to play a close game this season, but I think that changes after Saturday as Auburn pulls out the win 24-21. ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
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Dan Mullen, the SEC’s resident quarterback whisperer The career of Mississippi State’s offensive guru
Caleb Ductant SPORTS WRITER
There is a quarterback guru lurking among the hot seats in the SEC, and his name is Dan Mullen. Mullen, the head coach at Mississippi State, has had an uncanny ability to develop quarterback talent at a high level. The Pennsylvania native has worked with all sorts of quarterbacks at many different levels of Division I football. While at Utah, under the watchful eye of his mentor Urban Meyer, he served as the quarterbacks coach. Meyer and Mullen were quite the tandem, they would meet up again in Gainesville at the University of Florida, this time with Mullen as the offensive coordinator. In 2004, the Utes posted an undefeated season behind the arm of Alex Smith and a high-powered passing offense partially directed by Mullen. The signal caller also had a hand in developing another QB at Utah in Brian Johnson, who led Utah in making a Sugar Bowl run in 2010. The Utes demolished the heavily-favored Alabama Crimson Tide, 31-17 in New Orleans.
At Florida, Mullen also had remarkable success with play calling and developing quarterbacks. Under his tutelage as quarterback coach and offensive coordinator in Gainesville, the likes of Chris Leak and eventual Heisman winner Tim Tebow flourished under the signal calling of Mullen. Earlier in his career with quarterbacks Brian Johnson, Alex Smith and Chris Leak, Mullen primarily had an air-raid, passing philosophy with offensive playing calling. After the advent of Tim Tebow, everything changed for Mullen. Tim Tebow was becoming a folk hero in Gainesville even with the relatively consistent play of Chris Leak. Mullen had to find a way to get Tim Tebow on the field, therefore Mullen curtailed his offensive play calling to cater to quarterbacks with the ability to run between the tackles. The rest was history, as Tim Tebow was gaining accolades with his play many were forgetting the man putting Tebow in the position to succeed, Dan Mullen. Mullen became a hot commodity on the coaching market and finally, in December of 2008, took the head coaching gig in Starkvillle, Mississippi at Mississippi State University. Mul-
len, after that rocky start, hit his stride in 2014, posting one of the best seasons in school history. The team went 10-2, reaching a No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll early in the season and beating three Top 10 teams. All this success fell on the back of Dak Prescott, a dual-threat, game-breaking quarterback. Prescott, under the watchful eye of Mullen, improved his play every year he was at school. Mullen has now developed another talent, a big bruising football player in the form of Nick Fitzgerald, a native of South Georgia. Fitzgerald ran a triple offense in high school and only threw the ball 78 times his senior season. This is evident through his playing style, the 6’5” gunslinger is not afraid to take contact as he recorded over 1000 yards on the ground last season. MSU concludes their three-game gauntlet of LSU, Georgia and Auburn this weekend in Jordan-Hare. Although, the Bulldogs had a tough time in Athens this past weekend, look for Fitzgerald and Mullen to press the Auburn front seven to adjust to the pragmatic, run-first approach that defines Mississippi State football.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
PHOTO VIA MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETICS
Reliving Auburn’s
3-2 victory in 2008 J ake W right SPORTS WRITER
Nine years ago, an apparent baseball game broke out between Auburn and Mississippi State in Starkville. The Tigers and Bulldogs didn’t actually decide to play baseball, but based off the final score, a fan glancing at Sunday’s paper would make assumptions. No one reached the endzone and Auburn defeated Mississippi State by a final score of 3-2. Auburn came into the game at 2-0 and No. 9 in the country, while Mississippi State was 1-1 and had already lost to Louisiana Tech. Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom would like to think that their defenses played well on that day. They did indeed, but the reason may have been because both offenses played dreadfully. Auburn punted on their first four possessions of the game and total eight punts on the night. Mississippi State topped Auburn’s four punts to start the game with seven punts on their first seven drives. The Bulldogs would total ten punts on the night. Auburn had 315 yards of total offense, but committed 12 penalties and lost three fumbles. Ben Tate led Auburn with 102 rushing yards. Auburn’s offense looked significantly better than State’s offense, however. State carried the rock 30 times, but only mustered 38 yards on the ground. Their offense totaled
just 116 yards and six first downs on the night. Wes Byrum made only one of three field goals on the night, but he only needed to make one to win. He connected on a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter and this would give Auburn a lead that State could not overcome. Mississippi State had one chance to tie the game, but Adam Carson hooked a 38-yard field goal wide right in the third quarter. Mississippi State scored in the fourth quarter, but Auburn is the one who gifted them two points. Auburn center Ryan Pugh got called for holding in the end-zone which is a safety. After the safety, Auburn lost fumbles on the next two possessions to give State hope. State couldn’t capitalize on either though as they turned the ball over on downs both times. The final Bulldogs possession ended with an interception to seal the win for Auburn. Tuberville and Croom were be on their way out after each team finished the 2008 season in disappointing fashion. Auburn lost seven of their last nine to finish 5-7. Mississippi State finished 4-8 on the season and both teams went 2-6 in SEC play. Dan Mullen would replace Croom. Gene Chizik took over after Tuberville, and Chizik is credited with hiring current Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn as his offensive coordinator.
VIA TODD VAN EMST / OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS
3 1st Downs - 14 Total Yards - 315
2 1st Downs - 6 Total Yards - 116
Passing - 160
Passing - 91
Rushing - 161
Rushing - 38
Penalties/Yards -
Penalties/Yards - 4/23
12/94
Turnovers - 1
Thursday, September 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
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The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Running Back: Kamryn Pettway - 36 Kerryon Johnson - 21 Kam Martin - 9 H-Back: Chandler Cox - 27 Tight End: Jalen Harris - 85 Tucker Brown - 86 Wide Receiver: Darius Slayton - 81 Kyle Davis - 11 Nate Craig-Myers - 3 Ryan Davis - 23 Will Hastings - 33 Eli Stove - 12
Left Tackle: Prince T. Wanogho - 76 Bailey Sharp - 66 Left Guard: Mike Horton - 66 Marquel Harrell - 77 Center: Casey Dunn - 50 Right Guard: Braden Smith - 71 Wilson Bell - 74
Defensive End: Marlon Davidson - 3 Nick Coe - 91 OR Big Kat Bryant - 1 Defensive Tackle: Dontavius Russell - 95 Tyrone Truesdell - 94 Defensive Tackle: Derrick Brown - 5 Andrew Williams - 79 Buck: Jeff Holland - 4 Paul James III - 10 OR T.D. Moultry - 55
Right Tackle: Austin Golson - 73 Calvin Ashley - 70
Middle Linebacker: Deshaun Davis - 57 K.J. Britt - 33 OR Chandler Wooten - 17
Will Linebacker: Tre’ Williams - 30 Montavious Atkinson - 48 Sam Linebacker: Darrell Williams - 49 Richard McBryde - 51 Field Corner Jamel Dean - 12 OR Javaris Davis - 31 Field Safety: Stephen Roberts - 14 Daniel Thomas - 24 Boundary Safety: Tray Matthews - 28 Nick Ruffin - 19 OR Jeremiah Dinson - 20
SPECIAL TEAMS
Quarterback: Jarrett Stidham - 8 Malik Willis - 14 Ryan Davis - 23
DEFENSE
OFFENSE
AUBURN DEPTH CHART
Boundary Corner: Carlton Davis - 6 Traivon Leonard - 21
Kicker: Daniel Carlson - 38 Anders Carlson - 26 OR Sage Ledbetter - 31 Punter: Ian Shannon - 43 Daniel Carlson - 38 Long Snapper: Ike Powell - 69 Bill Taylor - 60 Holder: Tyler Stovall - 29 Punt Returner: Stephen Roberts - 14 Ryan Davis - 23 Kick Returner: Javaris Davis - 31 Kerryon Johnson - 21 Devan Barrett - 6 Noah Igbinoghene - 4
Nickel: Daniel Thomas - 24 OR
Left Tackle: Martinas Rankin Greg Eiland
Running Back: Aeris Williams Dontavian Lee
Left Guard: Darryl Williams Dareauan Williams
Tight End: Farrod Green Justin Johnson
Center: Elgton Jenkins Harrison Moon
Wide Receiver: Donald Gray Keith Mixon Gabe Myles
Right Guard: Deion Calhoun Michael Story
Wide Receiver: Jamal Couch Deddrick Thomas Jesse Jackson
Right Tackle: Stewart Reese Evans Wilkerson
Defensive End: Fletcher Adams Defensive Tackle: Cory Thomas Tre Brown
Sam Linebacker: Leo Lewis Gerri Green Cornerback: Lashard Durr Jamal Peters
Defensive Tackle: Jeffery Simmons Braxton Hoyett
Strong Safety: Mark McLaurin J.T. Gray
Defensive End: Kobe Jones
Free Safety: Danijah Gammage BJ Bohler Brandon Gurley
Will Linebacker: Montez Sweat Marquiss Spencer Middle Linebacker: Dezmond Harris Erroll Thompson
Cornerback: Tolando Cleveland Chris Rayford
SPECIAL TEAMS
Quarterback: Nick Fitzgerald Keytaon Thompson
DEFENSE
OFFENSE
MISSISSIPPI STATE DEPTH CHART Kicker: Jace Christmann Tucker Day Punter: Logan Cooke Kody Schexnayder Long Snapper: Hunter Bradley Holder: Logan Cooke Punt Returner: Donald Gray Gabe Myles Kick Returner: Donald Gray Keith Mixon
Thursday, September 28, 2017
The Auburn Plainsman: Game Day vs. Mississippi State
15
Auburn offense improves in SEC-opening rout of Missouri J ake W right SPORTS WRITER
Coming off Saturday’s 51-14 win at Missouri, Auburn’s offense as a whole improved mightily. However, it was the play of the offensive line that served as a huge sigh of relief for the Tiger faithful. Right tackle Darius James, who sustained an injury against Mercer, did not play against Missouri. From left to right, Prince Tega Wanogho, Mike Horton, Casey Dunn, Braden Smith and Austin Golson started on the line for the Tigers. Golson started the first three games of the season at center, but James’ injury forced him to move outside to right tackle. Casey Dunn, a graduate transfer from Jacksonville State, took Golson’s place at center. “I thought I played really well. I believe I executed,” Golson said. “There is obviously a lot I can get better at though. I will just
ADAM SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jarrett Stidham (8) drops back to pass in the second half. Auburn vs Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sep. 2 in Auburn,Ala.
“
We needed that game to propel us in the right direction.” — Braden Smith
keep trying to improve. I also played some left tackle late in the game, and I played guard in our ‘Rebel’ packages. Wherever the team needs me I will go. I should know our offense by now.” Auburn’s offensive line gave Stidham a clean pocket and protected him for most of the night. Missouri’s defensive line was supposed to be a strength of their team, but Auburn allowed only one sack and one quarterback hurry all night. The knowledge that Golson gained from playing center aided him in moving outside, the senior claimed. “It helps a lot,” Golson said. “At center you have to know what everyone is doing on every play, so therefore if I move to another position I’ll already know what I’m doing. I’ll have already learned it from playing center.” Golson and Braden Smith both heaped praise on new center Casey Dunn. “He played really well,” Golson said. “He communicated great, and we got hats on hats most of the night.” For the defense, starters Javaris Davis and Tre’ Williams were held out of the game. Auburn’s defense held Missouri’s offense to 340 yards and forced four turnovers with Davis and Williams out. Carlton Davis had an interception and the defense recovered three fumbles. “I’ve been banged up since Clemson,” Williams said. “I toughed it out against Mercer and the coaches decided to sit me
ADAMS SPARKS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) scrambles for yardage in the first half. Auburn vs Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 9 in Clemson, S.C.
out against Missouri. I am going to keep rehabbing and we will see how it goes this week.” The senior did say his injury had to do with the upper half of his body. After routine execution against Mizzou, Williams was high on the linebacking unit’s performance. “They had a great performance,” Williams said. “We have depth to where we don’t miss a beat when someone is out.” Running back Kamryn Pettway was held out Saturday night as well. Kerryon Johnson returned from injury to replace the big bruiser however, tying the 2017 FBS high for touchdowns in a single game with five. Williams was pleased with the offense’s
breakthrough. “It was a great feeling watching them,” Williams said. “I knew they’d come out and play ball. It was great to watch. I was on the sideline telling them that we would get them the ball back.” Coming off a dominating performance, Auburn has no time to rest. Auburn is facing a ranked Mississippi State opponent at home next weekend and Smith thinks the Missouri game is just what the Tigers needed. “We needed that game to propel us in the right direction,” Smith said. “We still have a lot of work to do. It was nice to get that first SEC win though. It was a road win and those are hard to come by.”
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