Now 10 years removed from a 3-2 final, Auburn and Mississippi State meet again beneath a fog of cowbell.
After a 7-28 loss to No. 13 Kentucky and an ensuing 6-13 home loss to No. 22 Florida, the Bulldogs host No. 8 Auburn on Saturday in remembrance of a game that seemingly set the sport back decades.
With both teams focusing on improving offenses, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn realizes the challenges of first-year head coach Joe Moorhead taking control of a new team.
Despite the Bulldogs’ 3-2 record, however, Malzahn said that quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is key to the team’s progression.
“I think it really starts with their quarterback,” Malzahn said. “He’s 144 yards away from being the SEC’s all-time leading rusher for a quarterback. I think that says it all; he puts a lot of pressure on defenses.”
Fitzgerald trails Tim Tebow (2,947 yards) for the all-time spot and is currently averaging 79.5 yards per game.
Fitzgerald leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five through 318 rushing yards, the team’s second-highest mark, and is second in passing touchdowns with four. His 70 carries through four games are 18 more than his total passing attempts while completing 49.1 percent of throws.
Opposite Fitzgerald, the Bulldog defense is returning eight starters from the previous season. Mississippi State is currently ranked at No. 11 for total defense, five spots ahead of Auburn, and No. 8 for scoring defense, five spots behind Auburn.
Malzahn praised the Bulldog defensive front seven.
“Even if you have everybody healthy, they are one of the best defenses in the entire country,” Malzahn said. “They have a lot of confidence and they can really rush the passer.”
The Bulldogs have allowed 120.4 rushing yards per game, ranking at No. 31 in the nation, and 166.4 yards per game through the air, ranking at No. 16.
Against a then-unranked Kentucky, Barry Snell Jr. rushed for 165 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. The Wildcats amassed 229 total rushing yards in the 28-7 win over then-No. 14 Mississippi State.
Despite a home return from Lexington, no Bulldog eclipsed 100 yards passing or 45 rushing yards in a 13-6 loss to then-unranked Florida.
Now, surrounded once again by the familiar bell chime, both Mississippi State and Auburn are tasked with offensive rejuvenation.
With the aid of two interceptions and a forced fumble, Auburn’s offense pushed for 24 points in an 11-point homecoming win over Southern Miss. The previous week, in the team’s 34-3 win over Arkansas, no player eclipsed 50 yards rushing while quarterback Jarrett Stidham appeared evenly matched with the Razorbacks’ Ty Storey.
In the absence of JaTarvious Whitlow, Auburn’s current leading rusher with 326 yards and four scores, Malzahn said that Kam Martin’s carries will not be affected with other running backs available.
“[Martin] will be the first guy out there because we have a lot of confidence in him,” Malzahn said. “You saw him last week; he ran with a passion and with a will, especially when the game was on the line. He protected the football and we were very impressed with his performance last week.”
Martin, originally named the starting running back to start the season, had a season-high 90 rushing yards in the win over Arkansas. Shaun Shivers, Auburn’s third-leading rusher and presumed next-guy-up, will assumingly add onto his carry total in Whitlow’s absence.
Auburn is currently ranked No. 64 for total rushing offense with 178.6 rushing yards per game. Through five games the previous season, Auburn averaged 208.4 yards per game.
Meeting at the midway point of the season, Moorhead acknowledged a difficult schedule for both teams after Saturday’s meeting.
“Certainly, from our schedule here on out is going to be incredibly difficult, but this staff, team and myself, personally, welcome the challenge of playing in the SEC West,” Moorhead said.
Separated from the ghost of a five-point game, both teams are focused on bringing back a normality of scoring.
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