I ended my post last week saying this: "I do not "talk big" on this blog very often... I think this is one of the rare times where I will say that State better watch out and they better come to play because I do not think we are getting the same old cliches or coachspeak this week. For the first time in maybe his entire career I think Gus Malzahn is being dead honest talking to the press. I will give Gus the last word here this week: "It is a completely new year, but at the same time, when you have experiences, whether you are a player or a coach YOU REMEMBER. AND WE HAVE GOT TO RESPOND." This Saturday we will see the response."
Auburn responded. I just had that feeling that Auburn would come out looking for payback but even I could not envision the hell they unleashed on Mississippi State. I was there for the 2005 Bama game and Auburn sacking Brodie Croyle over and over and jumping out to a 21-0 lead and I remember Auburn going up 35-0 at Starkville in 2016. I remember many more fast starts by an Auburn football team but I do not think I have ever seen a finer half of football than I saw last night. The game was also a hard sellout and over 80,000 screaming Auburn fans and students made their presence known immediately as State had a delay of game penalty on the FIRST PLAY (!!!).
The Auburn defense, literally frothing at the mouth, stopped State with a huge sack on third down and then the crowd backed up State another five yards when they caused ANOTHER delay of game penalty on fourth down. Christian Tutt returned the ball 16 yards to the State 30 yard line after State finally got the punt off. The Auburn offensive line then literally ended the game on Auburn's first offensive play opening a hole big enough for a bus to drive through. Boobee Whitlow ran through that hole and took it 30 yards basically untouched for Auburn's first touchdown. You could tell, the game was over. It was just how bad it was going to get. It got bad.
The Auburn defense pushed State back again and State punted again. It took Auburn five plays this time with Bo Nix hitting his first big pass of the night to Seth Williams and then taking it himself three plays later. I just got chills as I remembered watching Bo Nix's dad Pat have his coming out party at Mississippi State in 1994. Auburn had not got it clicking on offense that season and I think State was favored in that game. Auburn took it to State and it was Pat Nix's first really good game as a starter at Auburn. The very next week he led Auburn over #1 Florida in the Swamp. His son will lead Auburn next week against #9 Florida in the Swamp... does it not give you goosebumps?
Back to last night... Auburn kicked off to State up 14-0 and State added to their misery by fumbling the kickoff. It took Auburn just two plays to score again as Anthony Schwartz took it in this time. Auburn was up 21-0 and the game was barely six minutes old. State then showed some toughness and resolve and ground out a twelve play 75 yard touchdown drive. There was no way though Auburn was going to let State even sniff getting back into this game. Bo Nix and company then ground out their own eleven play 78 yard touchdown drive. Nix hit Seth Williams three times on this drive, the big one being a thirty yard completion on 3rd down and 7. It was shades of his dad and Frank Sanders twenty five years ago! Boobee Whitlow took it in for the touchdown to make it 28-6.
State once again ground out another eleven play drive and kicked a field goal and once again Auburn would immediately RESPOND. The Tigers once again flew down the field on the arm and legs of Bo Nix. The kid is already a legend, the question is how big it is going to get. Nix broke off a nice 30 yard run on the third play of the drive and even though he fumbled at the end Auburn retained possession. Nix then hit Seth Williams again for a 39 yard touchdown pass. There have been a lot of great quarterbacks and wide receivers at Auburn but those famous combinations have been much more rare. There have been Sullivan and Beasley, Burger and Tillman, Marshall and Coates, NIX AND SANDERS and now it looks like we have NIX AND WILLIAMS.
Auburn was now up 35-9. The Auburn defense got back on track and stopped State three and out. The ferociousness of the Auburn defense was palpable last night. Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson were the clear leaders. They chased down every single play, they never stopped. They made up for that night in Starkville last year and then some. The rest of the defense followed their lead and were just flying to the ball. Lineman, linebackers, defensive backs... it did not matter, I never saw just one Auburn blue jersey on the ball. State would not score again till the game was clearly over and the reserves were in. The Auburn defense responded and made a clear statement.
The Auburn offense was not done either. They were stopped on their next drive when Seth Williams was called for a fumble when he was clearly down. I have seen some of these Auburn runs stopped by a fumble but not this night. Owen Pappoe, the Bo Nix of the defense, forced State to fumble two plays later and Auburn got the ball back at the State eight yard line with under three minutes left in the half. This is where Gus typically runs the clock out content to go to the locker room with a big lead and just runs vanilla the entire second half not getting anything else out of the game. He has done it many times. He did it up 35-0 at State just three years ago. He did NOT do it this night.
State did actually stop Auburn but in typical State fashion they committed a dumb personal foul penalty to keep the Auburn drive alive. Win or lose, every single year State will usually commit several personal fouls. They never change. Nix would find his guy Seth Williams for 14 yards on second down. Nix then zipped one to Will Hastings on a big third down conversion and then hit Anthony Schwartz in stride for 48 yards to the State three yard line. Boobee Whitlow took it in from there making it 42-9 at halftime. Auburn basically scored a touchdown on every single possession in the first quarter against a decent SEC opponent. Again THAT is a RESPONSE.
The game was over, the only question was would Gus Malzahn just completely shutdown and let State win the second half like he has done so many times in the past. I will say to his credit, he did not. I sure hope this was a learning experience and not a one time response. I really hope so because the Auburn drive to start the second half was a thing of beauty. The Tigers and Bo Nix came out FIRING. Nix hit Anthony Schwartz for 19 yards to open the half. He then, after a short Kam Martin run, hit Will Hastings for 21 yards and then, once again, hit Seth Williams on a beautiful pass and catch for a 32 yard touchdown. It was now 49-9.
The defense stuffed State after one first down and Bo and the boys were back at it again. Nix hit Eli Stove for almost 30 yards but then Shaun Shivers fumbled the ball. The Auburn defense stopped State again three-and-out but then for the first time all night State forced Auburn to punt. State then hit a couple of big passes and scored to make it 49-16. Oh well I assumed Gus would pack it in, it was almost the end of the third quarter and the game was over. In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend... Auburn was not done quite yet. Bo Nix would hit yet another big pass to Sal Canella for 30 yards on a 3rd and 10 play. Nix would then complete his final pass of the night for 16 yards to Jay Jay Wilson and Kam Martin did the rest of the work taking it in to make it 56-16.
That would do it, State would tack on a late meaningless touchdown and it ended 56-23. Auburn had responded and a statement had been made. I do want to mention that even after sending in the reserves Gus let Joey Gatewood throw two real passes. He has never done that in the past in this situation. I really hope he keeps this up. I just think it is so important to get your backup quarterback game reps and not just waste that time. It was just a great game for Auburn from beginning to end. It was just a tremendous effort by the players, coaches and the sellout crowd. The night was made even more special as Auburn honored last year's Final Four basketball team and handed out rings. Again what a special night to be an Auburn Tiger.
The party is now over though. It was great but Auburn cannot waste a second celebrating. The Tigers now head to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators. It will be Auburn's first road game between two top-10 teams since 2014. It is by far the biggest game in the conference next week and like Texas A&M could make or break Auburn's season. I thought Texas A&M was so big because it would give Auburn the momentum to help play good against State and have a good chance to beat Florida. I think that if Auburn beats the Gators it gives them the confidence and the momentum to then knock off one of the big boys coming up on the schedule.
I think Auburn is a little bit better overall than Florida. I think the Auburn defense is the best unit on the field and the Auburn offense can be more explosive. However Florida is still very good, Dan Mullen is a good coach and the Swamp is a tough place to play. Also, can Auburn avoid a let down after playing a near perfect game against State? We will see next Saturday. I am already excited. Florida used to be one of Auburn's biggest rivals and now they hardly ever play anymore. It has been a long time since a good Auburn team took on Florida down there. The last time was when the Tigers and Wes Byrum upset Tim Tebow and the Gators in 2007.
However I am again thinking about 25 years ago when another Nix led us into the Swamp after a big win against Mississippi State and delivered one of the biggest wins in Auburn football history. Can his son repeat that feat this coming weekend? I can tell you right now, I would not bet against him.
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