Joe Moorhead previews Mississippi State’s tough Week 6 matchup with Auburn
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are 3-2, having lost their last two games to Kentucky and Florida to derail a lot of preseason hype.
However, not all is lost for new coach Joe Moorhead’s squad, but a tough test awaits this weekend at home against Auburn.
On Monday, Moorhead gave a lengthy scouting report on the Tigers, who are 4-1 on the season (via 247Sports):
“Moving on to Auburn, obviously led by Gus Malzahn, 49-23 in his six years there. Has won or played in the conference championship in seven of his 12 seasons as a head coach. He was a 2013 National Coach of the Year. The prolific offense is led by quarterback coach, Chip Lindsey. They play the spread and use a variety of personnel groupings and some unorthodox formations, which throughout the season, we’ve kind of seen them more and more, formation to sideline, trips and the sideline, so that’s something we’re going to have to defend again. Averaging 33 points-per-game, rushing for 179 and throwing for 198. The quarterback Jarrett Stidham is a fantastic player, 963 yards passing this year. Operates the system well. A lot of people have him ranked or graded as a potential first-round prospect. Two running backs, very, very talented – Kam Martin, No. 9 and 28, JaTarvious Whitlow. He’s their leading rusher. Then wide receiver, No. 23 Ryan Davis – quick, agile and a veteran senior. Certainly, a guy that we’re going to have to pay close attention on the back end.
“Defense is led by Kevin Steele, a long-time NFL and college coordinator, does a fantastic job. Once again, like the other teams we’ve seen, a mix of three and four down. They play one-high, two-high, man-zone coverages. On third down, they do a great job pressuring. They are the third-ranked scoring defense in the country, fifth in third-down conversion percentage, and seventh in turnovers. They’ve given up five touchdowns the entire season, and only one of them on the ground. Interesting to see, looking at the scoring defense rankings from this year, that six of the top 10 scoring defenses are from the SEC, and we’ve played two of those three already. Now, we’ll have another opportunity to go against one this week.
“Special teams is led by Larry Porter, his second year. Kind of a simple scheme that allows his players to play fast. Averaging almost 30 yards on kickoff return with one touchdown. They’ve blocked two punts, and they have a 14.5-yard average. They have a bunch of guys there. The punter, No. 9 is extremely accurate, averaging almost 45 a kick with five over 50 and six inside the 20. The kicker has 85 percent touchbacks, 6 of 12 on field goals with a long of 53.”
That is quite the scouting report, but preparation aside, the Bulldogs find themselves in a must-win situation this weekend.
The Tigers are vulnerable, but Moorhead and company will need to be on top of their games to take advantage of it.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
