Five reasons Auburn could lose to Mississippi State

Auburn hit a little bit of a bump in the road against Texas A&M this past Saturday.

Most of the fanbase believed that Auburn had turned somewhat of a corner and was now in Bryan Harsin’s first year with the Tigers eyeing a shot at the SEC title game and potentially the College Football Playoff.

Now, following the loss to the Aggies, Auburn is looking to get back on track with a tough Mississippi State team coming into Jordan-Hare. Can Auburn up off the mat quick enough in their 11 a.m. clash with the Bulldogs?

Here are five reasons why Auburn could possibly lose to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Auburn's defense won't be able to get off the field

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Mississippi State is first in the SEC both plays run per game and time of possession. Auburn’s defense plays protective zone coverage that MSU could elect to just simply dink and dunk on, sustaining drives and chewing clock. This could lead to potential breakdowns if Auburn’s secondary gets too impatient or starts to take chances.

Auburn won't be able to run the ball

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Mississippi State is allowing 108 rushing yards per game (third in the SEC). Auburn will struggle to get much going on the ground with Bigsby and Hunter

Auburn doesn't have the weapons to make explosive plays

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Auburn has really struggled to develop a consistent downfield passing game this season, simply because they don’t have the weapons to do it. Much like the defense, the offense can’t get too impatient and continuously try and take shots for three reasons. Again, the talent isn’t there in the receiver room. If the shots fail, then Auburn is giving the ball back to an offense that is going to hold onto the ball, and finally, the shot plays might get taken away, as Mississippi State has 10 interceptions on the season.

Anders Carlson is in a slump

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Anders Carlson missing a field goal in this game could be very pivotal, as we saw against Texas A&M.

Early games in Jordan-Hare are tough

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For both teams. Auburn may not be able to wake up quick enough in this game.

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