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A spirit that is not afraid

Plainsman Picks: Mississippi State

Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (18) celebrates a pass breakup against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022.
Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (18) celebrates a pass breakup against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Oct. 29, 2022.

In its first game since the firing of head coach Bryan Harsin, Auburn has a lot on its plate. Mississippi State rolls back into its home stadium after two road losses, while the Tigers will be looking to find an identity under interim head coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. 

Here's how our staff picked the game:



Callie Stanford, Sports Editor: Mississippi State 31-21

@Stanford1Callie

"This one could be interesting, but I'm going to predict that it isn't. I remember what Will Rodgers was able to do against a more talented Auburn secondary and I think Saturday will be a second version of last year's events. If Robby Ashford and the offense can deal with the cowbells, there are successes from last week that they can build on and I imagine that they don't struggle too terribly on their side of the ball, but it won't be enough."

Noah Griffith, Assistant Sports Editor: Mississippi State 35-31

@NoahGG01

"High-scoring game, I know. Auburn scored 34 points against Ole Miss and finally went a game without a turnover against Arkansas. I think that's a really good building point for Robby Ashford and the offense, and I only expect the running game to get better under head coach Carnell Williams. I like Tank Bigsby to have 100+ yards and Jarquez Hunter to score multiple times, but in the end, Auburn lacks the secondary necessary to slow down Will Rogers and a plethora of targets he can go to." 

Jacob Waters, Sports Reporter: Mississippi State 31-20

@JacobWaters_

"There’s new excitement around the program with Cadillac Williams now at the helm. Unfortunately for Auburn, I don’t think that excitement will be enough to win this week. Will Rogers picked apart Auburn last year, and I see him replicating a similar performance on Saturday. Auburn will look lively, play better and keep it close for a while, but the Bulldogs will pull away late."

Donavan Weaver, Sports Writer: Auburn 30-23

@DonavanWeaver21

"Yeah yeah, I know. Half the coaching staff is gone, and Auburn has only been productive on offense one game this season. However, I think behind interim head coach Cadillac Williams, Auburn will use the spirit of 2004 to get the run game going. I think Auburn will score, but the question is can Derick Hall and the Tiger defense stunt the Mississippi State offense... and I think they will. Give me Auburn to get a win in Stark Vegas to keep their bowl hopes alive."

Jac Myrick, Sports Writer: Mississippi State 38-27

@jac_myrick

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"We are looking at two teams trying to get that bounce back win this weekend. Now with Cadillac Williams taking over as interim head coach, I expect to see a huge workload for the Auburn running backs. I do not see offense being the problem in this game, instead the defense. I think Will Rogers will probably throw for 250+ passing yards and the MSU offense will control the tempo. I think we'll be hearing the victorious ringing of cowbells Saturday night."

William Halliday, Sports Writer: Mississippi State 35-13

"State is coming off a bye week after barely scoring in their last matchup against Alabama, while Auburn has just fired their head coach and are just trying to finish out the season. This will be State's first home game in three weeks, and I believe Will Rogers will show up and go for over 300 passing yards, torching the Auburn defense. Robby Ashford will struggle with the atmosphere and the noise of the cowbells. Give me the Bulldogs to win coming off a two-game losing streak."

Chase Black, Sports Writer: Mississippi State 31-14

@chaseblack334

"The Bulldogs are coming off two losses and a bye week. They look to right the ship and become bowl eligible. Auburn keeps it close for a while but does not put up enough offense to get it done. Uncertainty will abound for the Tigers in this game, and they will look to find some semblance of an identity to finish off the season."


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