Auburn blows out Mississippi State 49-10

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer

No. 24 Mississippi State‘s September time as a college football darling was fleeting.

After beating LSU in Week 3, we wondered if the Bulldogs had the opportunity to be a challenger to Alabama in what seemed to be a wide-open SEC West.

Yeah, no.

Mississippi State lost 31-3 to No. 7 Georgia last week and was drubbed 49-10 at No. 13 Auburn on Saturday night. For those that don’t want to do the math, that’s a combined score of 80-13. Not good.

The night got off to a horrible start for the Bulldogs. A potential fumble by Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham was returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. But the fumble was ruled an incomplete pass on the field and only deemed a fumble on replay. That meant the ball was dead and the return didn’t count.

Mississippi State ended up only getting a field goal after getting the ball and lost four potential points. At the time, those felt like four big points. And maybe they would have swung some of that vaunted momentum away from Auburn and to Mississippi State.

But when you lose by 39, four points don’t mean much.

The Auburn blowout means we’re pretty much where we thought the SEC West was before the season. Alabama is No. 1 and Auburn is No. 2. Auburn’s 11 sacks given up to Clemson in Week 2 was a terrifying prospect for Stidham and the offense.

But since then the Tigers have shored up pass protection and Stidham was a very efficient 13-16 for 264 yards and two scores Saturday night. When he has time, the Auburn offense can go deep.

Will he have time in two weeks when Auburn takes on Georgia and a defense that’s been one of the best in the country? We can’t wait to find out.

Auburn wide receiver Darius Slayton (81) catches a pass over Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Auburn wide receiver Darius Slayton (81) catches a pass over Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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