Is Mississippi State set to be the No. 1 team in the country?
A week after ascending to No. 3 in the AP Poll, the highest ranking in the school's history, the Bulldogs beat No. 2 Auburn 38-23 on Saturday thanks to a relentless ground attack and two Auburn turnovers on its first two offensive plays.
While the turnovers didn't fulfill the "set the tone" cliche for the Tigers, they certainly resulted in a hole that Auburn was unable to dig out of. On Auburn's first play, Nick Marshall threw an interception. That led to a 7-0 hole. On the next offensive play after the Tigers got the ball back, D'haquille Williams fumbled after catching a pass from Marshall. It was 14-0.
After a punt on Auburn's third drive, the game was 21-0 before there were 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Auburn twice got the game within one possession at 21-13 and 28-20 in the third quarter, but never got any closer.
Another turnover officially doomed Auburn. Mississippi State kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter to make the margin 31-20. On the ensuing kickoff, Ricardo Louis fumbled the ball while fighting for extra yardage. Mississippi State recovered the fumble and two plays later the game was 38-20. Ballgame.
MSU QB Dak Prescott's passing wasn't exceptional. He threw two interceptions, though he made up for it with his running ability. He had 21 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He was complimented by RB Josh Robinson's 97 yards and two touchdowns.
As Mississippi State ran for 223 yards, Auburn ran for 232. And as Nick Marshall threw for 209 yards, because of the turnovers, it simply wasn't enough. Auburn rarely had chances to impose its high-speed tempo on the Bulldogs and dig out of the canyon. Pending Ole Miss' result against Texas A&M, MSU has a chance to be the only undefeated team in the SEC West.
The Bulldogs will certainly vault over Auburn in Sunday's polls. Will the win be enough to pass Florida State, which won on the road at Syracuse?
Both teams are off next weekend. In two weeks, MSU plays Kentucky while Auburn plays South Carolina.
For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com
For more Mississippi State news, visit BulldogBlitz.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Mississippi State beats Auburn 38-23
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