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Auburn opens SEC play at Mississippi State

Sep 13, 2008 - 10:01 AM No. 9 Auburn (2-0) at Mississippi St (1-1), 7:00 pm EDT

STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Ticker) -- Ninth-ranked Auburn will be primed for revenge Saturday when it opens Southeastern Conference play at Mississippi State.

The Tigers were upset at home by Mississippi State, 19-14, last season, snapping a six-game winning streak in the series. It also marked the first time that Bulldogs coach and Alabama native Sylvester Croom beat Auburn in four tries.

Although Auburn was not severely tested in its first two wins against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Mississippi, there is still room for improvement in the new spread offense installed by coordinator Tony Franklin.

The Tigers did not score an offensive touchdown until the third quarter in a season-opening 34-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe, then committed four turnovers in last week's 27-13 victory over Southern Miss.

Still, Chris Todd, a junior college transfer, may have won the starting job on a permanent basis. Making his first career start last week, Todd completed 21-of-31 passes for 248 yards.

"I thought Chris played well," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He made good decisions the first half. We got a little lackadaisical in the third quarter, but sometimes you lean on your defense a little too much."

Mississippi State parlayed last year's win over Auburn into its first bowl appearance since 2000. The Bulldogs, who had not won more than three games in the previous six years, capped an 8-5 campaign with a 10-3 victory over Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl.

Mississippi State (1-1) opened this season with a disappointing 22-14 setback to Louisiana Tech, as Wesley Carroll threw three interceptions. But Carroll and the Bulldogs bounced back last week with a 34-10 victory over Southeast Louisiana.

Auburn and Mississippi State are opening SEC play for the fifth straight year. The win by the Bulldogs last season snapped Auburn's 14-game winning streak in SEC openers.