STARKVILLE — In the last few years, the winner of the Mississippi State-Auburn football game has gone on to have a good season.
Last season, MSU won 38-23 in Starkville and rose to No. 1 in The Associated Press, where it stayed for five weeks, en route to a second-place finish in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division.
In 2013, Auburn beat MSU 24-20 in Auburn, Alabama, and went on to win the SEC and a national championship.
In 2012, MSU’s 28-10 victory in Starkville was part of a 7-0 start to the season. In 2010, the Tigers, led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, won 17-14 on a Thursday night in Starkville. The victory helped propel the Tigers to a national championship.
With the exception of last season, all of the games were the SEC openers for both teams and set the tone for the rest of the season. Although both teams enter this year’s game at 0-1 in the SEC, the result of Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. kickoff (ESPN2) in Auburn, Alabama, could play a huge role in the course of each team’s season.
“We both, in conference play, are back against the wall and have to come out to fight and ready to play,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said.
MSU (2-1, 0-1) lost to LSU 21-19 in Starkville in week two. LSU, which rolled past Auburn 45-21 last week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is 2-0 in the SEC. Ole Miss is 1-0 after its SEC-opening victory against Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Texas A&M and Arkansas haven’t played a league game, but they will meet Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
MSU senior quarterback Dak Prescott said after the loss to LSU that the team’s goals were still obtainable, but a win is a must this week.
“That one against LSU, we can put that behind us and we’ve got to keep going forward and trying to win every game,” Prescott said. “Losing two, that kind of puts you down and puts you at the bottom.
“If we win this game, we’re still right in the position we need to be. If we lose it, then we’ve got to get some things straight.”
Auburn (2-1) leads the series 61-25-2. Mullen, who is 2-4 against the Tigers, has never won on the Plains. He is 9-15 in SEC road games. Last season, MSU won its first two conference road games (at LSU, at Kentucky) before losing at Alabama and at Ole Miss.
MSU’s last victory at Auburn came in 2007, when coach Sylvester Croom claimed a 19-14 win.
“It’s hard to win in the SEC on the road,” Mullen said. “Almost everyone wins most of their home games. You’re going to have to play really well if you’re going to (win on the road in the SEC).”
A victory Saturday would help MSU take back-to-back decisions in the series for the first time since winning four in a row from 1997-2000.
Prescott’s first career start came in 2013 at Auburn, when he threw for 213 yards and rushed for 133 and two touchdowns. The Tigers needed a C.J. Uzomah 11-yard touchdown catch with eight seconds remaining to claim the victory.
Prescott, who has 717 yards of offense in three games against Auburn, said he is a different quarterback since that start at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“I know what to expect going into Auburn. I know exactly what the stadium’s going to be like. I know exactly what it’s going to be like on third-and-long trying to get that first down. It’s hard to hear, and it’s a great environment to play in,” Prescott said. “I’m using it as motivation to come out with different results than I did the first time being there.”
Auburn opened the season ranked No. 6 in The Associated Press’ preseason poll. The media also picked Auburn to win the SEC outright, but Alabama received more votes to win the SEC West.
Auburn needed overtime to beat Football Championship Subdivision member Jacksonville State 27-20 two weeks ago. Last week, Leonard Fournette rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns in LSU’s 24-point victory. Still, Mullen said Auburn is a very talented team.
“There are really not many layup games in the Southeastern Conference,” Mullen said. “You have to show up every single game and play your butt off.”
n In other news, Mullen said senior safety Kendrick Market will play Saturday after sitting out last week against Northwestern State as a precaution.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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