The 2013 Mississippi State Game

Auburn has lost 10 straight conference games.  Has this ever happened before?  It needs to end tonight as the Tigers play the Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare on ESPN2.  Auburn is something like a 7 point favorite.  It would be nice to start the season 3 and 0 going to Baton Rouge next week.  Since Dan Mullen showed up in Starkville, we have no love for the Bullies.

FIRST QUARTER

The Tigers receive and start at the 25.
AU drives smartly to the MSU 12 for a first down, mixing the pass and the run, but we are pushed back from there after a fumble and a sack.                                                                                                      We have to settle for a 41-yd. FG.  Gotta finish those drives. 

Auburn 3  Mississippi State 0

MSU starts from their 25.
The Bulldogs drive smartly to a first down to the AU 18.
Our DBs are playing soft.
That's as far as the visitors get and the 35-yd. FG is wide right---not close.
Just like the first two games the defense bends but doesn't break.  It's hard to deal with psychologically but this is the way of this Tiger defense so far this year.
Lightening strikes on 3rd and 6 from the 24 as Nick Marshall drops the low snap but then finds a wide-open Quan Bray for a 76-yd. TD pass!
The Tigers make the 2-pt. conversion as MSU doesn't line up correctly.  How sweet it is!

Auburn 11  Mississippi State 0

MSU starts on their 25.
First play long pass play to the AU 14.  OH, boy.
Next play a reverse leads to the TD run.
Both of these plays come at the expense of Ryan White playing in place of the injured Chris Davis.   State goes for 2 and the play fails.

Auburn 11  Mississippi State 6

AU at their 25 with 4:09 to go in the quarter.
The Tigers move down the field and the quarter ends with AU inside the Bulldog 10.

SECOND QUARTER

We get to the 2 but have to kick the FG.  Okay.
Our offense has scored on its first 3 possessions but two are field goals.
                                                                                                                                                         Auburn 14  Mississippi State 6

After one first down MSU has to punt.
AU starts on their 33.  Bray fumbles the punt after a short run but Auburn recovers.
The Tigers go three and out and punt for the first time to the State 16.
A penalty moves the ball to the 21.
MSU goes right down the field.
Their QB Prescott runs it in from the 5 on 3rd and goal.
The PAT is good.  Here we go again!

Auburn 15  Mississippi State 14

5:02 to go in the half.  What can our offense do now?
At times our offense seems to find its rhythm, but then it stumbles.  We need sustained drives.
Kiel Frazier has had some snaps tonight including 4 yards on the first play in this possession.
The Tigers go three and out as Coates can't catch a ball right in his hands on third down.
State gets the ball back quickly on their 21 after the 48-yd. punt.
Our offense can't get it going.
State starts another drive.  We can't stop Perkins.  We can't stop the QB draw.
State punts from their 35 with 28 seconds left.
Bray runs the punt back to the AU 45 but State intercepts on the last long pass down the field as the half ends.
We go to halftime and it's anybody's game.  This game could go either way.  I can't predict what is going to happen in the second half.

THIRD QUARTER

MSU receives and starts on their 25.
Their QB Dak Prescott makes a huge run on the QB draw to the AU 11.
Our defense has no answer for the State QB running the football.
Our defense is on its heels on the first possession.
Their QB walks into the end zone from the two.
An unstoppable opening half drive by Mississippi State.  We have to very concerned at this point.
This is bad, bad, bad.
6 plays.  75 yards.  Our defense is standing still.  No defense whatsoever.

Auburn 14  Mississippi State 20

What now?
I must admit I am flabbergasted by our comotose defense on that last drive.  State can't be this good.
Something is wrong out there.
This is a team that scored 3 points against Oklahoma State.
Mason makes a mistake bringing the ball out and is dropped at the 11.  Not good.
If we go three and out this game is over.
After a bizarre play in which Nick Marshall catches his own pass as a defender bats the ball back to Marshall and he makes a big run down the sideline, the Tigers bog down at the 30 and Parkay kicks the 47-yd. field goal.  Well, at least we scored.

Auburn 17  Mississippi State 20

Our defense is getting pushed around.  What will happen now?
From the 25 Bulldogs move the ball again and we cannot stop them.
The Tigers hold on 3rd and 4 at the State 48.
The punt goes into the end zone.
The defense makes a stop.  Can our offense get it going again?  We aren't going to win this game on field goals.
After a couple of first downs Tre Mason fumbles after a catching a pass and MSU recovers at the Auburn 48.
State goes 3 and out and we have a punt from around midfield.
The punt goes into the end zone.  Here we go from the 20.
Quentin says our defense has gone conservative and we have to throw the ball.
One first down but now we are punting the big play being a sack on Marshall. 
This offense simply cannot get it going.
At least the punt takes a big AU bounce to the Dog 9 yard line as the quarter ends.

FOURTH QUARTER

The final stanza starts with the outcome in doubt, our offense ineffective, and State with the lead starting a possession on their 9.
Our offense is stone cold with no rhythm and slow playing.
20 to 17 down to start the 4th quarter.
We have them backed on third and long but give up a run to a 4th and short just short of the 19.
I am amazed we let them close the first down on 3rd and long on a run by Perkins.
After a first down the Dogs punt 39 yards and AU has the ball at their 41.
A tipped ball and it's intercepted.  We are in big trouble.  State is on the Auburn 47.  This is a critical mistake by Marshall and the receiver.  The ball was headed nowhere near the receiver.
3rd and 3 at the AU 40.
4th and 2.
There is an easy run for 7 yards by the quarterback.  Hard to understand why there was a big hole on the right side.
Back 5 yards on a procedure penalty.
Our defense holds but the bad news is that the punt is downed at the 3.  OH, my.
 The Tigers drive to midfield for a 3rd and 3 after Nick Marshall overthrows a wide-open Coates who could have walked into the end zone.
We cannot sustain the drive at midfield and State gets the ball back starting at their 20.
State goes for it on a 4th and one and picks up the first down after a 3rd and 10.  Oh, my.
The click is ticking down.  One more first down and this game may be over.
Now it's 3rd and 4 at the Bulldog 38.
What now?
We hold on third and now it's 4th and a yard and a half.  State will punt with the clock winding down to the 2 minute mark.
Bray is dropped at the AU 12 as he stutters rather than run straight ahead.
1:58 left.
The Tigers drive to a first down at the Dog 25.
The clock is stopped with 34 seconds left.
3rd and 10 from the 25.
Marshall runs to the 14.
21 seconds left.
We're at the 11 with 15 seconds left.
TOUCHDOWN AUBURN!
Marshall finds Uzomah in the end zone with 10 seconds left.

Auburn 24  Mississippi 20

Marshall to Uzomah for the win.  This is one we will remember for a long time.