Mississippi State vs Auburn Football Predictions
Written September 10, 2009 by Rock Henderson
Former Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen gets his first taste of what an SEC road game is like as a head coach when his Bulldogs make the trip to Auburn to play the Tigers. One of the most bizarre games of 2008 took place between these two last year. Auburn pulled off a baseball like 3-2 victory in Starkville out gaining the Bulldogs 315 to 116 in total yards. Both teams are not expected to be contenders in the SEC, but posting an early season win could build momentum for the rest of the year.
Mississippi State faced an overmatched Jackson State team in the opener. The Bulldogs used a balanced offense and stout defense to record the 45 to 7 victory. Red shirt freshman QB Chris Reif scored 4 touchdowns (3 through the air, 1 on the ground) and accounted for 160 yards in his first game as a starter. Starting RB Anthony Dixon was suspended for the opener due to a DUI arrest in the off-season. The preseason second team All SEC back will return for the Auburn game which should give the Bulldogs a boost on offense. With only 10 returning starters and learning new schemes on both sides of the ball, it will be hard for Mississippi State to match last year’s 4 win total. Mullen’s spread offense should be able to put at least one score on the board against the Tiger’s defense this year, but their own defense has not been tested and will need to play well to keep this game close. According to the college football lines, the Auburn Tigers are 14 point favorites over Mississippi State and the over/under is set at 44 points.
Gene Chizik didn’t exactly make any friends in the coaching world after reneging on his promise to Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard that he would return to lead the Cyclones for a third season and within a 48 hour period was introduced as the new head coach of the Auburn Tigers. Chizik inherited 15 returning starters from a 5-7 team that was a far cry from their top 10 preseason ranking in 08’. The Tigers looked much improved in week 1 against a tough Louisiana Tech team as they cruised to a 37 to 13 win. SR QB Chris Todd established himself as a starter by throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns. True freshman Onterio McCalebb did the work on ground scampering for 148 yards and a touchdown. SR Ben Tate also saw considerable action and ran for 117 yards. The Tigers totaled 566 yards in all under first year offensive coordinator Guy Malzahn’s new scheme. Auburn seems prepared to return to their winning ways in 2009.
This series has been dominated by the Tigers as they have won 7 of the last 8. Mississippi State did win the last meeting at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2007 however. The spread is set at 14. Auburn has the advantage in every phase of the game and should utilize the home field advantage to cover the number fairly easily.
Rock’s Score Prediction: Auburn 35, Mississippi State 10
Rock’s Pick: Take Auburn Tigers -14
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