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The Auburn Tigers (3-4) are hosting the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-3) Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
What to Expect from the Tigers
Auburn is looking for its first conference win, and the Bulldogs got their first conference win Saturday after beating the Arkansas Razorbacks. After starting the season 3-0, the Tigers have lost four straight.
Saturday, Auburn hosted the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels and was able to keep it close but couldn’t finish the job, losing 28-21. Look out for what head coach Hugh Freeze does with backup quarterback Robby Ashford. He started against Ole Miss and was used throughout the game for a total of 22 snaps. Starting quarterback Payton Thorn played the majority of the game with 36 snaps.
Auburn relies on its run game which is ranked 54th in college football. Their passing game is its weak spot which ranks 234th. Starting running back Jarquez Hunter was the highlight of the Ole Miss game, leading the team in rushing and receiving yards with 91 and 54, respectively. He also scored two of the teams three touchdowns.
Full speed ahead @jarquezhunter 💨 https://t.co/RO9DunsrlU pic.twitter.com/yR98ngFR95
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 21, 2023
The Tigers haven’t had the most successful season on defense. However, they did come up big against the Rebels. Defensive tackle Marcus Harris had 1.5 sacks along with Jalen McLeod, who had one. The defensive line also had some help from the secondary. Safeties Zion Puckett and Donovan Kaufman both had an interception.
.@SosaKaufman's first INT of the season leads to points🔒📈 https://t.co/wuDynU1iyx pic.twitter.com/TAvNCmXqcL
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 22, 2023
The Bulldogs
Mississippi State is coming off of its most underwhelming game of the season after beating the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road 7-3. With starting quarterback Will Rogers dealing with a shoulder injury, the Bulldogs had to start backup Mike Wright. After throwing an interception on the second play of the game, Wright set up an easy 24-yard field goal for the Razorbacks. Though. he would go on to lead a drive that ended up being the game-winning drive at the beginning of the second quarter. For the rest of the game, neither team would do anything else offensively.
https://twitter.com/HailStateFB/status/1715883221882192189
The Bulldogs don’t excel in much, but they do have a strong rush defense. They rank 87th against the run, which will be interesting to see against a run-heavy Auburn team.
Linebacker Nathaniel Watson had two sacks and 13 total tackles. Safety Shawn Preston walked away with an interception, as well.
Made A Home In The Backfield 👀#HailState🐶 | @Ford pic.twitter.com/Z26ri2hceZ
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) October 22, 2023
The Bulldogs leading receiver is Lideatrick Griffin, who has 494 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The teams leading rusher is Jo-Quavious Marks, who has 500 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
As the Bulldogs prepare for Auburn, it is unknown if Rogers will recover in time to play or if he’ll miss another game for the second straight week.
A Tigers win would push them up to a .500 team, and would put the Bulldogs below .500. A Bulldogs win would extend their win streak to three games and keep Auburn from getting its first conference win. This SEC West matchup will take place in Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
