Auburn vs. Mississippi State Football 2009
Mullen and Chizik Meet in Their First SEC Matchup as Head Coaches
The Tigers and Bulldogs both had big wins last week, but they both have not yet met real competition.
This is the first year for Dan Mullen as head coach at MSU and Gene Chizik at AU, and they both are looking for their first SEC win. Both of course have experienced plenty of SEC wins, but not as the head coach of a school.
Mullen was offensive coordinator at Florida before replacing Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State, where he led an offense that won the national title. Chizik had similar experience as defensive coordinator at Auburn and taking them to an undefeated season. Chizik may not have won a national championship at Auburn, but did win one when he took the same position at Texas.
Auburn’s Season Opener
Auburn looked impressive in its victory over Louisiana Tech, and they hope to continue to win under head coach Gene Chizik.
Auburn started out sloppy by making many penalties and letting the Bulldogs keep the game close. The Tigers committed 87 yards in penalties and fumbled the ball twice. At the half Auburn was only up 13-10.
The second half was a completely different story with Auburn looking solid on offense and defense.
This includes a 93-yard touchdown pass from Chris Todd to Terrell Zachery, which is a new school record.
Chris Todd looks like his surgically-repaired shoulder is not bothering him at all as he threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, including the school-record pass.
Auburn’s running attack also worked in the opening game as Ben Tate ran for 117 yards and Onterio McCalebb ran for 148 and a touchdown.
Kodi Burns may not be the starting quarterback anymore, but he was used in the game to help Auburn in running the ball. He lined up under center and ran the wildcat offense for Auburn. Burns ran for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Of course it is early in the season and Louisiana Tech does not have a defense as strong as the SEC defenses that Auburn will face this year.
Mississippi State’s Opener
Mississippi State also looked strong in their opener, but once again it is the easiest game that the team will have all season. They dominated Jackson State for a 45-7 victory.
Tyson Lee and Chris Relf both looked impressive at quarterback. Lee completed 9-of-14 passes for 97 yards. Relf went 7-for-10 for 75 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for 82 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Relf led in rushing, but this is mainly due to the absence of the Bulldog’s star running back Anthony Dixon. Robert Elliott ran for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Dixon was suspended for the opener due to the DUI he received in the offseason. He will definitely help Mississippi State’s offense against Auburn.
The Bulldog’s defense looked impressive in holding the Jackson State Tigers to only seven points and in getting two interceptions and recovering three fumbles.
MSU looked strong in their first game, but of course the Auburn Tigers will be a lot better than the Jackson State Tigers.
Auburn Over Mississippi State
Mississippi State did look to play well in their opener and neither teams look to be a power in the SEC, but it looks as though Auburn should be able to take care of the Bulldogs.
Auburn has the home field advantage and has a tough defense. They should be able to stop Dixon, but it should be a close game.
A big concern for the Tigers is that last season’s leading receiver, Montez Billings, is still suspended.
It should make for a good match up as Mullen and Chizik hope to get their first conference win as head coaches.
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