Auburn heads to Starkville on Saturday with a chance to stack a second straight win and move one step closer to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2023, but the trip comes with plenty of ways things could get messy.
The Tigers are dealing with an early start for the third week in a row, and that alone can make life tricky. Auburn is 1-1 in games that kicked off before noon CT, and head coach Alex Golesh made it clear Monday that the road trip won’t be a walk in the park.
“This is a tough travel,” Golesh said Monday of the Tigers’ upcoming trip to Starkville.
Mississippi State enters at 4-5 and has dropped five in a row, but Golesh isn’t treating the Bulldogs like a team in free fall.
“This is not a team that you can lollygag around because they have the ability to put points at a high clip,” Golesh said.
Even with Vegas favoring Auburn, there are several reasons the Tigers could be pushed harder than expected. One of the biggest starts with Mississippi State quarterback AJ Swann.
Since Kamario Taylor went down with a season-ending toe injury before the Week 7 game at LSU, the Bulldogs have rotated Parker Puckett and Swann over the last five weeks. Swann found a rhythm in Week 10 against Vanderbilt, completing 63% of his passes for 254 yards and a touchdown in a loss.
If he brings that kind of production again, Auburn’s pass defense - which ranks No. 15 in the SEC - could be tested.
Auburn’s own offense also has to prove it can avoid another slow start on the ground. The Tigers finally got the run game moving in the second half of their Week 10 win over Arkansas, piling up 165 rushing yards after managing just 18 before halftime.
That kind of split tells the story of Auburn’s season on the ground, and Mississippi State sits in the upper half of the SEC against the run. If Auburn can’t establish something sustainable early, the Bulldogs could make the Tigers play uphill.
Protection is another issue that can’t be ignored. Auburn’s offensive line turned in what may have been its best performance of the year against Arkansas, giving up only nine quarterback pressures in 77 snaps.
Still, Byrum Brown has been sacked an SEC-leading 35 times, and that number jumps off the page this deep into the season. Auburn will need Brown kept upright against Bulldog blitzers Jaray Bledsoe, Will Whitson, and Dealyn Evans.
There’s also some concern on the defensive side because of Auburn’s linebacker depth. The group has been one of the team’s strengths, but injuries have thinned it out.
Bryce Deas filled in for Xavier Atkins, only to suffer a season-ending injury in practice before the Arkansas game. Then true freshman Shadarius Toodle stepped into the “next man up” role and delivered 11 tackles and three sacks after DeMarcus Riddick left with an injury of his own.
Auburn still has Elijah Melendez, Shadarius Toodle, DeMarcus Riddick, and Michael Matthews-Canty in the mix, but the margin for error is getting thinner.
Finally, the game may come down to which team controls the pace. Auburn is the lowest-ranked team in the SEC in average time of possession at 26:53 per game, while Mississippi State is only slightly better at 27:29. That makes every possession matter, and Auburn will need to squeeze value out of each one if it wants to leave Starkville with a win.
In Other News...
Auburn Just Lost The Safest QB Portal Path Available
Auburns quarterback search in the transfer portal just got a little more complicated with Mississippi States Kamario Taylor choosing to stay put rather than test the market. Taylor is still working back from a severe toe injury, but his new deal reportedly starts at $7.5 million and gives the Bulldogs a major piece to build around as they try to shape the rest of their roster and recruiting plans.
For Auburn, the timing matters because the Tigers are still sorting through their own options at the position and had reason to monitor the portals upper tier closely. With Taylor off the board, attention shifts even more toward other possible targets from places like Ohio State and Michigan, leaving Auburn to keep weighing fit, availability and cost in a market that is already getting thinner by the day. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has Tough 2027 Recruiting Calls To Make
With the early signing period for the Class of 2027 drawing closer, Auburn is entering the part of recruiting where the easy work is mostly done and the hard decisions begin. Alex Golesh has made it clear the Tigers want to finish the class strong, and that means balancing the commitments already in place with the players the staff is still pushing hardest to land.
Auburns recent addition gave the class a boost, but the final stretch is still about roster evaluation and how the staff chooses to spend its time and resources. Some current pledges could be revisited while other targets get a more aggressive push, which leaves the Tigers with a few important calls still hanging in the balance before signing day arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Walks Into Starkville With Mississippi State Fans Checking Out
Saturdays trip to Davis Wade Stadium arrives at an awkward time for Mississippi State, which is closing out its SEC home slate against Auburn with a lot less buzz than the matchup might have carried earlier in the fall. The game is set for 11 a.m. CT, and the market around it has told the story of the Bulldogs recent slide, with secondary-ticket prices falling sharply as interest has cooled.
For Auburn, it is a chance to walk into Starkville with a little history on its side, and for Alex Golesh it will be his first look at the setting from the visiting sideline. The Tigers have won there more often than not, and while that does not decide anything on Saturday, it does add another layer to a game that now feels as much about atmosphere and momentum as it does about the standings. [Read more 🡒]