The Auburn Tigers suffered a tough road loss in Starkville on Saturday afternoon. Gus Malzahn’s team turned the ball over three times and were whistled for costly penalties at key times in the game in the 38-23 loss to Mississippi State.

Here are a couple of thoughts on the game:

What it means: Auburn was humbled by a very good Mississippi State team that is playing with supreme confidence. The Tigers fall to 5-1, 2-1 in the SEC and though its SEC West hopes aren’t dead yet, they took a hit on an electric Davis-Wade Stadium. Auburn now heads into a bye week and must prepare for South Carolina to visit the Plains in two weeks.

What I liked: The run defense. Auburn allowed a season-high 216 yards on the ground, but fared well against a lethal rushing attack in Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson. The Tigers had issues with the option attack featuring Prescott and Robinson, but on this day, nothing went right for the Auburn.

Who’s the man: Jonathan Jones. Jones had two key picks to keep Auburn in it during the first half when it seemed as if the Bulldogs would run away with it. He was matched up against a bigger, more physical De’Runnya Wilson and made two big plays to keep the Tigers afloat.

Key play: On the Tigers’ first offensive play of the game, Nick Marshall’s pass was tipped and picked off by Jay Hughes. Dak Prescott would find De’Runnya Wilson on the ensuing drive for a 34-yard touchdown strike to give State a 7-0 lead and set the tone. Auburn would never recover and would turn the ball over again on its next offensive play that would lead to another Bulldog score.