In what amounts to an elimination game in the SEC West, the Auburn Tigers made a stunning announcement and will start redshirt freshman Sean White at quarterback in an attempt to jumpstart a slumbering offense. It won’t matter much if the Tigers are unable to slow down Dak Prescott and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Tigers have allowed over 400 yards of offense in all three games and fell out of the rankings with a thumping at LSU last week. The Bulldogs won last year’s meeting in Starkville, but have dropped three straight and six of seven at Auburn.
ODDS
Auburn opened as a 3.5-point favorite and the spread was wagered down to -1.5 when news of a quarterback change came out of Tigers’ camp. The total surfaced at 55.5 and jumped to its current 58. Auburn has shown an inability to stop teams and new quarterback Sean White could get the Tigers offense headed in the right direction.
KEY MISMATCH
Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott could be the best quarterback Auburn faces all season, and he provides a real challenge for every member of the defense. He’s a weapon on read-option plays, which have killed the Tigers so far this season, and is an intelligent scrambler who possesses both power and speed. On top of that he’s having an excellent start to the season through the air. Prescott is just shy of 800 yards passing after three games, and has completed 65 percent of his throws. The matchup with Auburn is a favorable one against a thin secondary that allowed 277 yards to Jacksonville State quarterback Eli Jenkins. However the easier way to attack the Auburn defense this year has been on the ground. Following Leonard Fournette and LSU’s romp last week, Auburn is now tied for the fourth-worst rush defense in all of college football, giving up an average of 270 yards per game.
KEY STAT
16.7 – Mississippi State’s points per game allowed. The Bulldogs rank 26th in the nation in scoring defense and allowed a season-high 21 points to LSU, the same team that scored 45 points in a win over Auburn last week.
BETTING ANGLE
Welcome to the world of college football and the SEC Sean White. The four-star recruit from the 2014 class will make his first career start, taking over for the ineffective Jeremy Johnson at quarterback for Auburn. Johnson started the Tigers’ first three games and completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns, but he has thrown six interceptions. He struggled last week in Auburn’s loss at LSU, losing two fumbles and completing 11 of 19 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson was billed in the preseason as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, but the Tigers have struggled and fallen out of the rankings after starting the season at No. 6. The switch to White shouldn’t be a complete surprise as Auburn ranks 113th in the nation in total offense.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The decision to start White over Johnson could either be a panic move or the spark Auburn needs to resurrect its season. Mississippi State’s defense isn’t the most stout in the SEC, but it’s a huge step up for an unproven quarterback. And coach Guz Malzahn is throwing a lot on the plate of his redshirt freshman, with this being an SEC West elimination game. It’s hard to imagine White won’t be impacted by the situation and mistakes are likely. Auburn’s defense is just too shaky right now and without end Carl Lawson, teams are able to move the ball rather easily. Prescott had big rushing games against the Tigers the last two seasons and is even better this year. Auburn hasn’t been able to stop a dual-threat quarterback in some time and unless something drastic happens, the Tigers won’t stop Prescott and the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State 34, Auburn 24
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Tigers were positioned as 3.5-point favorites with a total of 55.5. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Mississippi State Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers square off on Saturday, September 26, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
