Auburn is etching closer to its first bowl berth since 2023 under first-year head coach Alex Golesh.
It could happen as soon as this weekend, as Auburn travels to Mississippi State seeking the elusive sixth win it’s missed out on the last two seasons.
Auburn entered the month with an even record, but a win over Arkansas put the Tigers over .500 once more after two straight losses. The victory took some time to develop, as an abysmal offensive start put Auburn in a double digit deficit it had to overcome.
Byrum Brown led the Tigers on a second-half offensive surge, while true freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle stole the show to secure the 26-23 Auburn victory.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State suffered its fifth straight loss by falling at home to Vanderbilt, which entered the game winless in SEC play. The Bulldogs are still trying to figure out their identity without star quarterback Kamario Taylor, but are looking for some stability in AJ Swann under center.
What are the keys to victory for each team this weekend?
Auburn
1. Generate explosive plays via the quarterback
Auburn’s offense, which looks atrocious at times and efficient at others, operates best when in rhythm and with tempo. The problem? Establishing said rhythm and tempo.
It starts with Byrum Brown, though, and his ability to generate explosive plays. He had several against Arkansas in the second half, which served as a catalyst to the offense to score 23 points to close out the game. Not to mention he’s not had an interception since the Tennessee game — he’s not forcing throws as much and doing a nice job protecting the football through the air. If it comes down to which quarterback can make the big play, the advantage favors Auburn.
2. Keep the pressure on AJ Swann and build off of last week
Defensively, Auburn had six sacks and 12 tackles for loss against Arkansas. The Tigers face a quarterback making just his third start of the season, so they’ll need to take advantage of that. Although he’s somewhat of a veteran, Auburn’s defense needs to find a way to pressure Swann and force Mississippi State to play behind the sticks — and keep them there.
Mississippi State
1. Force Auburn to play from behind and add more cowbell
It’s no secret Auburn starts games slowly on offense. Mississippi State needs to capitalize on that and keep the crowd involved as much as possible. The longer Auburn trails, the better (see LSU and Ole Miss game for reference).
If Auburn has to play from behind late in a road environment late, it could force Brown to make some mistakes by falling back on some old habits of forcing throws.
2. Trust in Fluff — he’s got the stuff
Auburn has the second-worst rushing defense in the SEC, only behind Ole Miss. Mississippi State must take advantage of it and run their star running back, Fluff Bothwell, especially considering there’s no Kamari Taylor.
Give Bothwell over 20 carries in this one and let him carry you down the field. He’s averaging five yards per carry on 122 carries this season and has four 100-yard games this season. Get him the football and let him go to work against an Auburn defense that’s been weak in defending the run this season.
Kickoff between Auburn and Mississippi State is set for 11 a.m. CST on SEC Network.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
