STARKVILLE — Missouri faced third-and-5 in the first quarter and elected to run. A conversion would have been a desperately needed boost for a home team playing as an 18-point underdog. Missouri elected to run: running back Ish Witter was stopped for a loss of 4 yards by Auburn defensive lineman Marlon Davidson.
Missouri punted and the rout was on.
No. 13 Auburn (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) hosts No. 24 Mississippi State 5 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium and does so with a defense that ranks best in the conference and tied for ninth in the nation with 33 tackles for a loss, over eight per game. Auburn comes into the game after holding Missouri to 14 points and fewer than 5 yards per play thanks to six tackles for a loss.
Both head coaches think the formula to the success has been simple.
“A bunch of really, really talented guys,” MSU head coach Dan Mullen said. “They do a good job with the scheme and making sure they’re in position, but most of them were top national players. They’re NFL-style players and they’re pretty good at disrupting things.”
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said on the SEC teleconference, “I think it starts up front. Up front, we’ve been playing in the other team’s backfield. Our linebackers are fitting the run correctly and in passing situations we’ve really done a solid job as a unit of putting pressure on the quarterback.”
MSU has shown the ability to prevent negative running plays. Only 13.8 percent of MSU’s rushing plays have been stopped for a loss or no gain, ranking eighth in the nation according to Bill Connelly. When it comes to strictly allowing negative plays, MSU ranks tied for 10th in the nation in allowing 3.75 tackles for loss per game and only four teams in the nation have done better than MSU allowing just 26 yards lost on those negative plays.
However, the tackles for a loss it did allow against Georgia were significant.
The first play of the game was a 6-yard loss on a completed pass to running back Aeris Williams; three plays later, MSU punted for the first of seven times. Another came on the final play of the game with MSU just a yard from scoring what would have been its only touchdown of the game. Instead, the negative play held MSU without a touchdown for the first time in six games.
It all goes to illustrating why MSU defensive coordinator Todd Grantham chases negative plays so intently.
“I think it’s important that you do find a way to get people behind the sticks because,” Grantham said, “it does impact what you do on second down and third down.”
Making matters more difficult for the MSU offense, Auburn is not reliant on
Furthermore, Auburn doesn’t feel like it needs to stretch its system to get in the backfield. The team’s three leaders in tackles for a loss come from three different levels of the defense: linebacker Jeff Holland (4.5), Davidson from the defensive line (4) and defensive back Stephen Roberts (4). Two more linebackers and one defensive line have at least two tackles for a loss this year and 10 more Tigers have at least one.
“I think, first of all, it’s playing sound base defense,” Malzahn said. “I think that’s where it starts.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter, @Brett_Hudson
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