A year ago Auburn and Mississippi State waged one of the ugliest football games in the history of the college sport.

Auburn prevailed 3-2 on the strength of a 35-yard Wes Byrum field goal in the second quarter.

It was Chris Todd’s first full game as the starter after sharing duties with Kodi Burns, and Todd was serviceable, hitting 15 of 26 passes for 154 yards.

Ben Tate topped the century mark, rushing for 102 yards.

But the Tigers couldn’t score. While Byrum hit the second quarter field goal, he also missed an 18-yard attempt and flubbed a 38-yarder.

Auburn was a miserable three of 16 on third down conversions. Only two drives consisted of eight plays; nine covered five or fewer.

The Tigers’ last two offensive possessions ended in fumbles.

It was a hideous display. Everything about Auburn’s offensive effort looked out of sync.

The only consolation was that for all Auburn’s offensive woes, the Tiger defense was devastatingly effective.

Mississippi State did not convert a single third down the entire game. The Bulldogs’ most effective possession covered 22 yards in five plays and ended in a punt.

MSU punted an astounding 10 times.

When the Bulldogs recovered a Todd fumble at the Tiger 32, the defense denied the scoring threat. MSU penetrated only as far as the Tiger 21 and then failed to convert a field goal opportunity.

That’s one primary reason why Auburn will beat Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Tiger defense has traditionally handled whatever Mississippi State has thrown at it.   Since 2001, the Bulldogs have scored a grand total of 76 points against the Tigers.  MSU managed a mere 22 over the last four years.  In the last nine meetings, MSU is 2-7 against the Tigers.

The Tiger defense should be able to control the offensive schemes of new Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen, who will learn that life in the SEC is a little tougher when you don’t have Tim Tebow running the show.

MSU Coach Dan Mullen

Mullen’s Bulldogs will still be extremely dangerous, particularly with Chris Relf calling the shots.

After MSU’s mediocre first half in the season opener under starter Tyson Lee, Relf came on and led the Bulldogs to scores on five of six second half possessions.

The 6′3″, 230-lb. redshirt sophomore may have wrangled the starting job away from Lee, who opened against Jackson State on Saturday but left in the second quarter and did not return to action.

The Bulldogs looked quicker and more polished against Jackson State than they did all last season, but Jackson State isn’t exactly SEC caliber.

In a head-to-head matchup, the edge goes to the Auburn defense.

Auburn’s front four should control the line of scrimmage, and that will take pressure off the greener secondary.

The question for the Tigers is whether Auburn’s emerging offensive firepower can overcome the Bulldog defense.

To paraphrase the president, “yes, they can.”

Take away the last two stunted seasons, where Auburn would have had difficulty putting points on the board against a team of junior high cheerleaders, and Auburn averages close to 30 points per game since 2001.

Over the last four years, while State cobbled together just 22 (19 of that coming in a 19-14 win in 2007), Auburn posted 79 points.

Auburn’s offense under new coordinator Gus Malzahn showed signs of evolving last week against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers played with much greater confidence and poise.

The infusion of speed in the person of SEC freshman Onterio McCalebb adds a new dimension to the Tiger backfield.

Byrum seems to have rectified the yips that plagued his sophomore season and kicked the ball with greater authority.

Mississippi State’s defense won’t hold Auburn to three points again, and that  bodes well for the Tigers.

Mississippi State will likely be better on offense under Mullen, but the down side for the Bulldogs is that Auburn should be significantly improved under Malzhan.

Auburn is probably two touchdowns a game better on offense than they were at this point last season.

With the Tiger defense holding State in check, that boosted confidence and production will be more than enough.

Even if that supposition turns out not to be true, the tale told in Saturday intangibles points to the Bulldogs’ demise.

When Mississippi State took the field against Jackson State on Saturday, the team performed a choreographed dance routine that included more moves than a Lady Gaga video.

The pre-game dance ended with players jumping in unison and barking. One word came to mind as the spectacle unfolded: undisciplined.

The Bulldogs were just that.

Mississippi State committed a dozen penalties that cost them 152 yards. The Bulldogs put the ball on the ground four times, losing two. Bulldog kicker Sean Brauchle missed two very makeable field goals, one from 38 yards and another from 37.

Those are the kinds of things that will get you killed in the SEC.

Auburn faced a tougher opponent than Mississippi State did in week one and showed greater poise in completing its assignments.

At home, under the lights, that gives the Tigers more than enough of an advantage.

The Tigers should pull away down the stretch and give Gene Chizik his first SEC win and a realistic shot at opening his Auburn tenure 4-0.

Fresh off an exciting 37-13 win over a good Louisiana Tech team, the Auburn football team will be paid a visit by Mississippi State on Saturday night. First year head man Dan Mullen guided the Bulldogs to a convincing win over Jackson State in Week 1. Now it’s the SEC opener for him and for new Auburn coach Gene Chizik.

It’s an important game for Auburn to win if they want to support the idea that the demons of last season are fully eliminated. Last year, Auburn staggered to a 3-2 win in Starkville. The defense played an incredible game, but the offense kept trying to lose it. I think Mississippi State will be better than advertised this year, but this is a game at home that Auburn should win. Here’s a few things to watch for on Saturday night:

Turnovers – Two years ago in this series, Auburn lost the game mostly because of turnovers. Chris Todd did a great job of protecting the ball last week, but two costly fumbles (Ben Tate, Darvin Adams) need to be eliminated for SEC play. Can Auburn force the two quarterback system in place at State to turn the ball over? If so, Auburn might win fairly convincingly. If Auburn commits the turnovers, the game will be much too close for comfort.

Auburn Tigers QB Chris Todd

The Running Game – Mississippi State has some quality running backs. Anthony Dixon returns after a one game suspension, and Christian Ducre is another solid back. Both teams want to run the ball first out of their new spread attacks. Whichever team establishes the running game more successfully has a huge advantage in the game.

Momentum – How will Auburn’s players and coaches handle the praise they have received this week? Last week was a trap game. And while this is an SEC game and it shouldn’t be a problem, it will be interesting to see the intensity with which the team plays as they’re expected to win. I hope to see the same loose, fun, yet focused attitude displayed last week. Having another game under the lights at Jordan-Hare will help create more of a home field advantage. Can they continue the momentum that started last weekend?

Linebackers – They were very productive last week. Will Eltoro Freeman play this week? Adam Herring did a good job in his place last week. They will be key in stopping the run and limiting the intermediate passing game of the Bulldogs.

Special Teams – In the history of this series, Mississippi State tends to play Auburn close, even when they’re not expected to. In close games, special teams are vital. I hope it doesn’t come down to a field goal or an important punt to flip the field position. But if it does, can Auburn’s special teams units come through in the clutch?

Things to watch for around the country:

USC @ Ohio State – Obviously this is a huge game with national title implications. How will true freshman Matt Barkley respond while playing in the Horseshoe? Is Ohio State a legitimate top 10 team? We’ll know a lot more about both teams after this one is over.

SEC matchups begin – South Carolina @ Georgia and Vanderbilt @ LSU provides some interesting storylines to begin the SEC slate. Georgia absolutely needs a win to curb some of the criticism from last week’s loss, and LSU still has questions about their defense after Washington moved the ball so well. It’s good to have SEC matchups back on the schedule.

Notre Dame @ Michigan – Both teams looked impressive in their openers, but which team is for real? Whichever team can advance to 2-0 on the year will be in the ESPN spotlight for weeks to come.

UCLA @ Tennessee – Can Lane Kiffin avenge the Vols’ loss in the Rose Bowl last year? It certainly looks like Tennessee will be much improved, but they will have to perform that way against a quality opponent. I think this is a huge swing game for UT – if they lose, it’s going to be pretty devastating to their record in the long run with Florida, Auburn and Georgia coming up in the next few weeks. But if they can win, Tennessee @ Florida will be extremely entertaining next week.

Upset Special – Watch for Connecticut to at least stick around and make it a game against North Carolina, and don’t be surprised if Vanderbilt plays LSU on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

Enjoy the games this weekend! I’ll have a recap of the weekend’s action at the beginning of next week…War Eagle!

To the casual observer, there was very little difference between Auburn’s 2008 season opener and the 2009 debut.

In both season openers, the Tigers subdued an inferior opponent from the state of Louisiana with a strong second half showing.  In 2008, Auburn clubbed Louisiana Monroe 34-0. Last Saturday night, the Tigers devoured Louisiana Tech 37-13.

In both games, Auburn scored in low double figures in the first half. Against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, Auburn posted 17 first half points. The Tigers managed 13 against the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech last week.

In both cases Auburn put up impressive offensive totals. Auburn racked up 406 yards against the Warhawks and piled on 556 against the Bulldogs.

Auburn Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn

Both offenses were paced by a punishing rushing attack. Auburn chewed up 321 yards on the ground against Louisiana Monroe while churning for 301 against Louisiana Tech.

Ben Tate topped the 100-yard mark against both the Warhawks and Bulldogs, gaining 115 yards in 2008 and 117 last Saturday.

That’s where the similarities ended.

Despite last year’s score and the grind-it-out ground game that provided the final margin, even the most ardent Auburn fan had reservations about the ability of the offense to execute. Regardless of the final score, it was readily apparent that Tony Franklin’s offensive system was rife with flaws. It was a disaster in the making.

Auburn didn’t score an offensive touchdown against Louisiana Monroe until the third quarter. First half scores came on a punt return and a fumble recovery.  Four of Auburn’s  first half drives in 2008 consisted of four or fewer plays. Only one seven possessions gained more than 24 yards.

Compare that to Saturday’s first half against Louisiana Tech: Five first half possessions, only one of which covered fewer than 26 yards.  There were no three-and-out possessions. Two possessions gained more than 60 yards each covered 10-plus plays and both resulted in points.

Franklin refused to name a starter in 2008 and eventually flip-flopped between Chris Todd and Kodi Burns in last year’s opener, a situation which did neither potential signal caller any favors. Both were ineffective.

New Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn turned the reins over to Todd and the results were obvious.

A year ago, Todd was a woeful 9 of 18 for 70 yards. He threw one interception and one TD pass.

On Saturday, Todd was 17 of 26.  He didn’t throw a pick. He threw two touchdown passes. One to Terrell Zachery covered 93 yards and was the longest in school history. An 87-yard strike from Jason Campbell to Silas Daniels in 2004 was the previous longest. It came against Louisiana Tech in a 52-7 Tiger win.

Todd’s rehabilitated shoulder allowed him to make throws that proved problematic a season ago, but the greater improvement came in him not having to look over his shoulder and worry about making a mistake.

When a quarterback understands that a single errant throw is not going to bring out the hook, it allows him to settle into the game.  There’s no question Todd’s confidence grew over the course of the win. He was a better quarterback at the end of the game than he was at the opening kick.

His best throw of the night wasn’t the 93-yarder, but a 17 yard touch pass in the fourth to Darvin Adams that gave Auburn a 30-13 lead and sealed the win.  The third-and-sixteen lob showed his confidence as well as confirmed the positive results of his shoulder rehab. It was a throw that Todd likely would not have been able to execute a year ago.

The coaching staff did not neglect Burns. The former starting quarterback was given ample opportunity to shine in his new role as a situational receiver and ball carrier in the ballyhooed Wildcat formation.

Burns came through, converting several critical possessions with elusive runs and scoring the Tigers’ first touchdown.

In addition to Tate’s 100-plus yard rushing night, freshman Onterio McCalebb broke the 100-yard plateau, gaining 148 yards.  He is only the second freshman in Auburn history to gain more than 100 yards in a season opener.

The last to do so? Bo Jackson, who rolled up 123 against Wake Forest in 1982.

McCalebb’s quickness is an excellent contrast to Tate’s more direct, bruising style and gives Auburn a potent offensive weapon.

Auburn also seemed to have added spark from the receiving corps, a weak spot for the Tigers in 2008. While heralded freshman DeAngelo Benton was shut out, Todd did spread the wealth among Mario Fannin, Adams, Zachery and Tate.

Auburn also exhibited a willingness to take calculated risks that harkened back to former coach Tommy Tuberville’s early riverboat gambler persona.

Auburn took possession at its own 39 with just 23 seconds remaining in the first half. Tech had just kicked a field goal to tie the game at 10-all.  Instead of standing pat, Auburn attacked.  McCalebb rumbled for nine yards on first down. Todd rifled a pass for 20 yards across the middle to Fannin on second down. On the last play of the half, Wes Byrum nailed a 49-yard field goal.

Instead of a 10-10 tie and questions, Auburn carried a 13-10 lead and momentum to the locker room.

The series was perfectly executed and showed moxy on the part of the coaching staff.

At the conclusion of the 2008 season opener, the general feeling was one of unease and concern. The win over Louisiana Monroe was so loaded with warning signs and red flags that only the most oblivious could have missed them.

There is no such unease after Saturday’s debut.  New head coach Gene Chizik and his staff put together a solid game plan that maximized the team’s strengths, allowed its quarterback to grow into his role, and provided a solid win that sets the tone.

All wasn’t sunshine and roses, however.  The Tigers had a handful of defensive breakdowns, particularly in costly penalties that must be avoided as the season progresses. A series of facemask penalties extended a Louisiana Tech drive and helped lead to its only touchdown of the night.

Two fumbles also prevented potential scoring opportunities. One, a Tate fumble inside the Bulldog ten in the first half almost certainly took points off the board. The second, on Auburn’s first drive of the third, gave momentum to Louisiana Tech and had the Bulldogs knocking at the door.

Freshman Darren Bates quelled that threat with an interception at the Tiger two yard line. Two plays later Todd hit Zachery on an out-and-up and Auburn was in control.

That’s the difference a year makes.

A year ago, the fumble would likely have eroded Auburn’s confidence and led to a mental breakdown.

This year, in this game at least, a moment of adversity didn’t become a tsunami.