Mississippi State vs. Auburn Preview
Mississippi State and Auburn begin SEC play this weekend, facing off against each other in Starkville. Mississippi State is looking to build on their first win against Southeastern Louisiana and prove that the upset loss to Louisiana Tech will not set the tone for the 2008 season.
Auburn comes to town looking to avenge an upset loss to the Bulldogs on the Plains last year. They have a new offensive coordinator in Tony Franklin who is in the process of implementing a spread offense that has not fully revealed itself yet. Their defense is their strong point. Auburn’s secondary – the supposed weak spot coming into 2008 – has suprised a lot of people this year.
State’s offense seemed to click a little better against SELA last weekend, racking up 34 points. We will rely heavily on Anthony Dixon as well as our corps of wide receivers. The defense also seemed to perform well, although this weekend will definitely be a test of the linebacker corps with starting LB and team leader Jamar Chaney sidelined for the season with a broken leg. Linebacker is the key position when defending against the spread as it needs to be able to read and react to the run quickly.
This will be a close game. I am going to call it 17-14 Mississippi State, but the score could easliy be the other way around. Either way it will be a great game to watch.
The game airs on ESPN2 at 6:00pm (Central). Find Auburn at Mississippi State tickets online.
Buy Mississippi State tickets and Ohio State Buckeye football tickets at CTC!
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