First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Auburn

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State is looking to complete a perfect October.
Saturday at 2:30 p.m., MSU is set to square off with Auburn as the Bulldogs go for their third consecutive win. That much you know. However, there are several things you might not.
So, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of headed into State's showdown against the Tigers:

State is looking to continue a trend of recent success against Auburn. The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings against the Tigers, and dating back to a 28-10 victory in 2012, MSU has won six of its last 11 games against Auburn.
The last couple of State-Auburn meetings have been particularly memorable. In 2021 – State's last trip to The Plains – the Bulldogs pulled off their largest comeback in program history. Trailing by 25, State roared back to claim a 43-34 triumph. MSU was in a 28-3 hole before scoring 40 unanswered points, then holding on for the victory.
There were also dramatics when the Bulldogs and Tigers met last season in Starkville. State got out to a 24-3 lead in the first half before a second-half Auburn surge provided the Tigers a late advantage. MSU needed a field goal with only 29 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. The Bulldogs then went on to emerge with the triumph when Auburn missed a field goal of its own on the opening possession of overtime ahead of 5-yard touchdown run by Jo'Quavious Marks on MSU's ensuing drive that gave State a 39-33 win.
As the Bulldogs seek to top the Tigers for a third season a row, they'll be led defensively by one of the country's top linebacking tandems. Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson enter Saturday's game with a combined 148 tackles. Johnson leads the Southeastern Conference with 77 takedowns, while Watson boasts 71 stops – a total that's third-best in the SEC. Johnson and Watson are the only SEC players averaging 10 or more tackles per game.
Watson is coming off perhaps the best game of his fantastic Bulldog career. Last Saturday at Arkansas, Watson earned an SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor as he notched a season-best 14 tackles, including a pair of sacks, to help the Dawgs beat the Razorbacks 7-3. Watson now has at least a half-sack in five straight games.
Safety Shawn Preston Jr. has been another MSU defensive standout. Preston was selected to Pro Football Focus' Team of the Week for his showing last Saturday at Arkansas. PFF gave Preston a 90.7 defensive grade against the Razorbacks as he notched three tackles, including a tackle for loss. He also had an interception and fumble recovery. Preston has now picked off a pass in each of State's last two games and has a team-high three interceptions this season.
There are ties aplenty between Auburn and Mississippi State. Bulldogs offensive line coach Will Friend will be wearing Maroon and White for the first-time ever during an MSU-Auburn game. He spent the last two seasons as the offensive line coach for the Tigers. Some of the Dawgs' off-field staff has spent time on The Plains, too. State senior offensive analyst Greg Knox was with the Tigers for several years in the 2000s as a receivers coach under Tommy Tuberville. MSU's director of high school relations, Steve Campbell, was a graduate assistant on the Auburn coaching staff in 1988 and 1989. And, of course, there's a prominent tie at the top of the Tigers' athletic department as well. Auburn athletics director John Cohen is a State alum and former Bulldog baseball player who served as MSU's head baseball coach from 2008 through 2016 ahead of being the school's director of athletics from 2016 through 2022.
Auburn enters Saturday on a four-game losing streak. The Tigers won their first three games of the season against UMass, California and Samford before dropping contests to Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss. The Tigers have seemingly found most of their troubles on the offensive side of the football, as Auburn ranks 12^th in the SEC in points per game, next-to-last in yards per game and is last in the league in passing yards per contest. The Tigers are, however, fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game.
A Mississippi State victory Saturday would bring the Bulldogs within a game of bowl eligibility. MSU has played a bowl game every season since 2010 and is looking for a postseason contest for what would be the 14^th consecutive season. State is one of only seven programs in the country that have gone to a bowl game every year since 2010. MSU has the third-longest bowl streak in the SEC, behind only Alabama and Georgia.
After the Auburn game, Mississippi State will turn its attention to its first home contest in nearly a month. The Bulldogs haven't played at Davis Wade Stadium since a win over Western Michigan back on October 7, but State will be back in Starkville for a homecoming tilt against Kentucky on Saturday, November 4. The game will feature the return of the iconic interlocking MSU logo to the Bulldogs' uniforms – worn in honor of the 1998 SEC Western Division championship team.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Auburn

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