Auburn vs Mississippi State: Game preview, prediction, live stream

After a dominant performance against Mizzou, Auburn hosts a Mississippi State team suddenly full of question marks. Here is our preview of the matchup.

A week ago, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were the talk of the town after a 37-7 trouncing of LSU. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was riding high and entering Heisman talks left and right.

And then Georgia happened.

The undefeated Georgia Bulldogs soared over Mississippi State, 31-3. Nick Fitzgerald and his dynamic offense from a week ago disappeared. The defense struggled to handle the offensive attack lead by Nick Chubb. Basically, Mississippi State fell apart.

On the other side, Auburn has risen to #13 in the nation behind graduate transfer Jarrett Stidham as quarterback. Their only loss of the season came to Clemson in week two, a match up the Tigers only lost by nine points. However, they allowed 11 sacks in that game. They also committed five turnovers against Mercer in week three.

It would seem that the Auburn offense has found some sort of identity however within it’s trouncing of Mizzou 51-14. The question here is, has the Auburn offense figured it out or is Mizzou just really bad?

Either way, the Auburn offense was on full display on Saturday while the Bulldogs limped through a match up with Georgia. Auburn will look to sustain it’s offensive production while Mississippi State looks to revive theirs.

Here is how you can watch Saturday’s Auburn vs Mississippi State game:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 30
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium
Network: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

The team that comes out on top in this one will have to play physical and sustain drives throughout the game. Who knows if Mississippi State’s mishap against Georgia was simply a fluke or if they really have some issues. However, if Nick Fitzgerald can get back to where he was against LSU they Bulldogs have a fighting chance at the upset.

It will also come down to defensive play. The Auburn Tigers have been doing well on the defensive side of the ball and been kept in games largely due to that strength. However, the Bulldogs have a pretty strong front of their own. All in all, it will be who comes to play and who comes to win.

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Prediction

While this game appears to be a toss up, I’m riding with the Bulldogs. Nick Fitzgerald is an outstanding quarterback and has many weapons at his disposal to find the endzone in a variety of ways.

While Auburn is strong, their offensive line has struggled with protection of Stidham and turnovers have been a huge issue. Look for the Mississippi State defense to get back on their feet and knock Stidham off his. The Bulldogs pull off the upset and head back to Stark Vegas with a big time win under their belt.

Final Score: Mississippi State 21, Auburn 14