Mississippi State vs. Auburn: Three Storylines To Watch In The Matchup
Mississippi State (4-3, 1-3) is on the road once again on Saturday to take on Auburn (3-4, 0-4) in Jordan-Hare Stadium at 3:30 PM CT. The Bulldogs are coming off a low-scoring win against Arkansas while Auburn is coming off a close loss to Ole Miss, still seeking its first conference victory.
With all of this on the table, here are three storylines to watch ahead of the weekend matchup.
Mississippi State and Auburn Offenses
Both teams' offenses this weekends have been struggling recently. The Bulldogs and Tigers rank the in bottom half of the SEC in yards per game and points per game with Mississippi State ranked 11th in both categories, while Auburn is ranked 13th and 12th respectively.
Both teams have their own injury problems. Auburn running back Damari Alston, who has been suffering from a shoulder injury, is trending toward being available for this Saturday's matchup. The Tigers will hope his return improves their offensive play.
It will be interesting to see how they match up against each other this weekend as both teams look to bounce back in SEC play.
Mississippi State QB Will Rogers.
Will Rogers' Status
Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers, who is suffering from an arm injury, is questionable for this weekend's game against Auburn. Head coach Zach Arnett said that Rogers was day-to-day. Rogers, who has not played since Oct. 7 against Western Michigan, could end up being a game-time decision.
If Rogers can't play, backup quarterback Mike Wright will take the starting role once more. He played his first start for the Bulldogs last weekend at Arkansas, where he completed 8 of 12 passes for 85 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, while rushing for 60 yards on 11 carries in the 7-3 road win.
Conference Standings
The Bulldogs won their first conference game of the season against Arkansas last weekend, and they look to get back on track in the second-consecutive road game.
Auburn is currently on a four-game losing streak, and sits just below the Bulldogs in the SEC West standings. Auburn is also one of three SEC teams to remain winless in conference play, with the others being Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
If the Bulldogs win, it will be their third-straight win against the Tigers, which would be their longest win streak against Auburn since 1997-99.
