The first half was about as much fun as an SEC game can be if you're an Auburn fan. The second half was frustrating, but the Tigers did enough to seal the win in Starkville.
Auburn's offense got off to a bad start with Tony Stevens missing an easy first down and causing an interception because of it. The defense stood strong and Mississippi State missed a field goal to allow the Tigers to escape with no damage.
After that, the game was pretty much all Auburn as Sean White started dealing the football and Kamryn Pettway pounded the ball with authority for the rest of the half.
Auburn quickly pushed the score to 14-0 by the end of the 1st quarter thanks to quick, accurate passes by White and great runs by Pettway. White spread the ball between multiple receivers and the Tigers' red zone woes disappeared as Auburn scored touchdowns on every trip in the first half. That's even with Sean White remaining in at QB after so much speculation that John Franklin III would be in on red zone trips.
Auburn was up 28-0 with time running out in the half and things were looking great. Then it got even better.
Shortly before the half, Carl Lawson attacked Nick Fitzgerald and forced the fumble. Montravius Adams recovered and took the ball into the end zone for a touchdown and a 35-0 half time lead.
The second half was sluggish for Auburn, as the Tigers' defense allowed the Bulldogs to put 14 points on the board. It could have been more, but Stephen Roberts snagged a 4th down interception on the 2 yard line to prevent more points.
Auburn finally put in John Franklin III with little time left in the 4th and let him lead the majority of a drive downfield that ended in a Daniel Carlson field goal and a 38-14 lead.
That was enough for Auburn, as Mississippi State got the ball back with little time left and couldn't do anything with it. The Tigers came away with the big road win and a 4-2 record going into the bye week before welcoming Arkansas to the Plains on October 22nd.
For player of the game, you have to go with Pettway. With Kerryon Johnson out with an ankle injury of some sort, Pettway did what Johnson did while Pettway was out. For everyone who wondered how Auburn would do at running back, I present to you THAT monster of two backs.
An SEC win on the road is fantastic. A dominating SEC win on the road is even better.
For the Sean White haters, I'll say he proved himself against an SEC defense, today (even though his performances against A&M and LSU were pretty good outside of TD passes).
The Tigers are on a roll. Hopefully it continues after the bye week and Auburn can vanquish the Hawg Hex.
War Eagle!