Write On Sports LLC - "Auburn visits Mississippi State in SEC opener" by Frank Sita

Auburn visits Mississippi State in SEC opener

2006-09-08 00:02:50 | By: Frank Sita

Auburn, AL – After beating up on the Washington State Cougars, the Auburn Tigers took care of one problem: winning their season opener following three losses in the last four to Southern California twice and to Georgia Tech last year.

But the fourth-ranked Tigers have not lost a Southeastern Conference opener in over a decade (14 years to be exact, losing to Ole Miss in 1992) and look to follow up the big 40-14 triumph over the Cougars by visiting the Mississippi State Bulldogs Saturday in Starkville.

“We can’t come out and reflect on the past,” said AU defensive end Quentin Groves Wednesday. “We didn’t want to start the season on a sour note, because if we lose one, we’re out of the (national title) hunt.”

Kenny Irons was Auburn’s big weapon against Washington State. The senior rushed for 183 yards on 20 carries, caught three passes for another 40 yards and scored on a 58-yard highlight reel to open up the third quarter.

“Kenny’s come light years since this time last year,” said AU coach Tommy Tuberville. “He’s so much more mature playing running back, knowing there’s more to it than just running the ball underneath his arm. He does a great job of that.

“He stepped up and made some good pass protections blocks, caught a screen pass and made a big run after that. He’s becoming a more all-around player.’

Irons, rewarded for his big night against Washington State by being named SEC Offensive Player of the Week, continued his rushing streak for 100 yards in consecutive regular-season contests to seven against WSU.

Irons was held to 28 yards on 13 carries against the MSU defense, but Tiger quarterback Brandon Cox had an efficient game after his nightmare start against Georgia Tech the week prior in 2005. Cox threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns last year against Mississippi State and started off this season with an 11-for18 outing for 191 yards and a touchdown against Washington State this past Saturday.

“Offensively, we’ve got to finish,” Cox said. “We don’t want to settle for that many field goals on our first four possessions. We were 3-of-12 on third downs. That’s one of the things we’re good at around here. We’ve got to work on third downs and definitely finishing when we get in the red zone.”

While Auburn piled on 40 points, the Bulldogs were held scoreless against South Carolina.

Things got worse when sophomore starting quarterback Michael Henig was lost for six to eight weeks with a broken collar bone, forcing redshirt freshman Tray Rutland into his first start Saturday against Auburn. Rutland was inconsistent after Henig went down against the Gamecocks, completing six of 15 passes for 63 yards and two interceptions, while being sacked twice.

“We just have to put this game behind us and get ready for Auburn,” Rutland said. “I talked to Mike (Henig) after the game, and he just told me to stay calm and keep my mind in the game.”

Henig’s injury shook up the already fragile MSU offense as senior wide receiver Omarr Conner, who started at quarterback the last two seasons, will be Rutland’s backup at quarterback for the Auburn game.

“If I’ve got to help the team, I’ve just got to do it,” Conner said. “I think coach (Sylvester Croom) trusted me behind center, and the team still trusts me. So, what I’ve got to do is just prepare myself for double duty and get ready to play.”

However Mississippi State will be a different animal than Washington State as the Bulldogs boast one of the best defensive fronts in the conference, giving up only three field goals and a trick-play touchdown to South Carolina last week in a 15-0 setback to the Gamecocks.

The Bulldogs start three seniors (tackles Deljuan Robinson and Andrew Powell and end Michael Heard) and junior end Titus Brown to try and slow down the Auburn running attack, which poured on 293 yards rushing and 484 yards of total offense last week against Washington State. Senior linebacker Quinton Culberson will also make his presence felt from his middle linebacker position.

Auburn has won its last five meetings with Mississippi State, outscoring the Bulldogs 174-55 during the streak, including a 28-0 victory last year in Auburn.