Five reasons Auburn could struggle against the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Auburn has lost four straight games but finally has a winnable football game coming up against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Mississippi State, like Auburn, hasn't had a great year, but this is still a football game that Auburn needs to take care of business in, or the Bulldogs could sneak up on you.

This will likely be a low-scoring game, which means the Auburn defense needs to hold up, and the offense needs to find a way to get points up on the board.

Let's take a look at five reasons Auburn could struggle against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs have an elite pass rusher

Mississippi State has an outstanding pass rusher in Nathaniel Watson. He already has 7.5 sacks on the season and is coming off a two-sack performance against the Arkansas Razorbacks. If Watson lives in the backfield, it will be hard for the Auburn offense to move the football, so the line needs to be prepared for Watson and have him blocked or potentially double-teamed. If Watson has a big game like he did against the Hogs, Auburn could be in trouble.

Mike Wright has a big game

Mike Wright proved he could win a football game against Arkansas, although there weren't offensive fireworks. Wright is a good runner and is averaging 6.4 yards per carry so far this season. If Wright is able to get outside of the pocket and run the football, he could put up big numbers. The Tigers need to watch Wright using his legs, or the Bulldogs will put up points.

Mississippi State can run the football

The Bulldogs have a solid rushing attack led by Jo'Quavious Marks. He has carried the football 97 times for 500 yards so far this season and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Seth Davis and the quarterback Wright also help in Mississippi State's rushing attack, so Auburn needs to be ready for all of these guys. If the Bulldogs run the football well, Auburn could struggle.

Auburn can't score

All Auburn fans know how bad this offense has been, and this whole game against Mississippi State will likely be a rock fight. The Tigers need to score to win. It would be great to see Payton Thorne get going throwing the football, but nothing we have seen gives any confidence that this could happen. If Auburn's offense struggles, they could stretch the losing streak to five games.

Lideatrick Griffin burns the secondary

The Bulldogs have an excellent receiver in Lideatrick Griffin, who has caught 32 passes for 494 yards and three touchdowns this season. He also has run the football 11 times for 36 yards and a touchdown. Griffin is one of the better receivers in the SEC, so if he has a big game, the Bulldogs will score some points. DJ James needs to be ready to lock Griffin down. If James does not, and Wright throws the football well, Griffin could have a big game.

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