Players to watch, keys to victory against Mississippi State

After dropping its fourth consecutive game, Auburn is looking to get back on track Saturday against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Tigers have lost their last two meetings against the Bulldogs from Starkville.

Auburn's offense was the story of the game last week against Ole Miss. More noteworthy is the lack of a passing attack as the Tigers ended with just 122 yards passing. The rushing attack struggled outside of a 53-yard touchdown run by Jarquez Hunter with the Tigers ending the game with 153 yards rushing.

However, these offensive woes were very similar to the performance of the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday. The Bulldogs got the victory over Arkansas 7-3 without starting quarterback Will Rogers, who was out due to injury. Mississippi State started backup quarterback Mike Wright, who transferred from Vanderbilt in the offseason. 

Wright finished the game with 85 yards passing and 60 yards rushing. He led the Bulldogs in both categories for the game. The Bulldogs' defense stepped up and helped get Mississippi State the victory even with the offense struggling – holding the Arkansas offense to 200 total yards and forcing two turnovers.

Even with recent struggles against the Bulldogs, Auburn has done historically well against Mississippi State. Auburn leads the all-time series 62-30-3. In the last 10 years, the series is tied 5-5. 

Players to Watch

Auburn

Jaylin Simpson (Safety)

Did someone say "Plankton Mentality?" Simpson, who said on Tuesday that he's trying to adopt the same mentality as SpongeBob character Plankton has, has been one the key players of this Auburn defense – having his best season as a senior. Wreaking havoc just like the cartoon character he bases his mentality on, Simpson has been forcing turnovers. Simpson has four interceptions on the year and one fumble recovery. Simpson will look to force more turnovers and help the struggling Auburn offense in field position.

Rivaldo Fairweather (Tight End)

While the Auburn offense has been inconsistent, one thing has stayed the same – the performance of Fairweather. Against Ole Miss, he caught his second touchdown of the season. Fairweather is second on the team in receiving yards with 184 yards. The Florida International transfer has not had any trouble adjusting to the SEC competition. Look for the Auburn offense to throw it his way and for the tight end to make a play.

Eugene Asante (Linebacker)

Asante has been the backbone of this Tiger defense. With 52 total tackles, Asante has been flying to the ball and making tackles. He also has 3½ sacks on the season. If Wright is playing quarterback for Mississippi State, Asante will have the task of stopping him both as a runner and a passer.

Mississippi State

Jo'Quavious Marks (Running Back)

While in years past we have seen the Bulldogs incorporate the air raid offense under the late Mike Leach, this year they have turned to their rushing attack. Their leading back is Marks with 500 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Mississippi State could look to get him involved heavily, especially if Will Rogers is not able to play.

Lideatrick Griffin (Wide Receiver)

Griffin has been the top wide receiver for the Bulldogs this season with 494 yards receiving and three touchdowns on the year. He is the clear leader at wide receiver as no other receiver for the Bulldogs has over 200 yards receiving. Griffin will look to expose the Auburn passing defense, which has been solid for the most part.

Jett Johnson (Linebacker)

Johnson is the leading tackler for Mississippi State with 77 total tackles and four sacks on the year. Johnson also has two interceptions. He had 11 total tackles in last week's victory, with five of those being solo tackles. Johnson will look to continue to stop an already struggling Auburn offense. 

Keys to Victory

Auburn

Auburn will look to force turnovers over a struggling offense to help its own struggling offense with field position. Auburn could also look to finally get a solid passing game implemented as Mississippi State's defense allows 239.7 passing yards per game, which is 87th in the country. This game will come down to once again, quarterback play as Auburn looks to find consistency at the quarterback position. Auburn's chances also increase as the game is in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Mississippi State

Make the offense earn it. The Bulldog defense fully stopped the Arkansas offense last week. The Bulldogs have the defense to change the game, but Auburn does as well. It would seem that the Mississippi State offense is better than Auburn's when Rogers plays (averaging 375.5 yards per game), but struggled with Wright at quarterback against Arkansas (205 total yards). This could very well come down to who makes the start at quarterback for Mississippi State. 

Auburn and Mississippi State kick off on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 2:30 p.m. CST in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network.