Mississippi State vs Auburn Lines

Written by InfoPlays

Mississippi State vs Auburn Lines Two new head coaches with new spread offenses get it on in the SEC opener with Mississippi State vs. Auburn on Saturday, September 12th. The Bulldogs and Tigers used to be known as power-running teams, but after several years of lackluster offensive outputs, both teams figured it was time to mix things up a bit. Gene Chizik hired Gus Malzahn to take over as offensive coordinator for Auburn. Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is using a two-QB system, something he learned from his days at Florida. One thing is certain, the final score of this game should not resemble the 3-2 laugher that resulted in 2008 with Auburn coming out victorious. College football odds have installed Auburn -14 over Mississippi State with a total set of 44 points.

Auburn had no problem taking care of LA Tech, a bowl team from last year, 37-13 in their season opener last week. The Tigers’ new spread offense was the key, and fans loved seeing Auburn finally put up points on the board after watching their offense struggle all of last season. Senior QB Chris Todd passed for 255 yards in the opener. He was benched last fall, so Todd is relishing this opportunity under an offensive scheme that fits his skill set. The defense held LA Tech to 245 yards of total offense, including just 96 rushing. They also forced three fumbles and picked off one pass. Auburn’s defense has always been one of the best in the country, and if the offense can keep them off the field more this season, then this should be one of the best stop units in the country again in 2009. Auburn is 57-23-2 in their last 82 meetings with Mississippi State and the Tigers are 16-1 the last 17 years in SEC openers.

Mississippi State started 1-0 for the first time since 2005 with a 45-7 drubbing of Jackson State. That 45 points is a lot more than the Bulldogs have seen in a long time, and this offense is expected to be much improved this year. Coach Mullen used a two-QB system with incumbent starter Tyson Lee and redshirt sophomore Chris Reif splitting the snaps. Lee was sidelined in the second half with muscle spasms, so Reif got even more playing time to show off his speed and versatility as the Bulldogs’ signal caller. Reif threw 3 TD passes on only 10 attempts. True freshman receiver Chad Bumphis is a guy that fit’s the Percy Harvin mold in which Mullen saw first-hand at Florida. That’s why Mullen offered Bumphis a scholarship while he was still at Florida. The wideout did not disappoint in the opener, catching two TD passes and even attempting a pass on a reverse last Saturday. Mississippi State has four legitimate tailbacks, and starter Anthony Dixon returns this week after sitting out their game against Jackson State due to suspension. All the hype is about the offenses this week, which should make for a more entertaining game than the 3-2 slugfest that resulted last year.

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