Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin knows the Tigers have plenty of corrections to make on offense after a 20-3 loss Saturday at No. 14 Texas A&M.
Not that Harsin is about to share them.
“I might as well just invite the entire Mississippi State defensive staff in here if I told you all those things,” the first-year Tigers coach told reporters Monday.
While defensive coordinator Zach Arnett and co. would likely be happy to oblige, they’ll have to figure out on their own what Auburn is emphasizing before the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) travel to the Plains to take on the Tigers (6-3, 3-2 SEC) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Part of it will surely be the big plays Auburn completely lacked in a poor performance in College Station. The Tigers’ longest play from scrimmage was all of 15 yards; A&M had eight longer, including a 68-yard run by Devon Achane and a 49-yard pass from Zach Calzada to Caleb Chapman.
“They had explosive plays, and we didn’t,” Harsin said. “We’ve got to find ways to create those; I think every offense would say that. But it wasn’t happening.”
Consequently, Auburn was held to a 32-yard Anders Carlson field goal and nothing else as its touchdown-less streak hit six quarters. That won’t fly against the Bulldogs, who have scored 25 or more points in all but one SEC game.
“I think we all know what they’re capable of doing throwing the ball all over the place,” Harsin said.
Indeed, Mississippi State has 48 more pass attempts than any other FBS team this season under Mike Leach’s Air Raid scheme. Its captain is quarterback Will Rogers, who ranks third in the country in yards per game with 367.7.
Harsin said he was impressed by Rogers’ completion percentage of 75.2 percent, the highest mark in the nation this year. Wide receiver Makai Polk and running back Jo’quavious Marks both rank in the top 15 in receptions nationwide and are among Rogers’ favorite targets.
“Just because you’re throwing it doesn’t mean you’re going to have 75 percent completion, so that’s pretty darn good,” Harsin said of Rogers. “… He’s playing well. He’s doing a good job of leading that offense and those guys around him are doing well, so we have to find a way to play really good defense against a quarterback like him.”
Auburn has its own established signal-caller in Bo Nix, a junior known for his up-and-down seasons over the past few seasons. Saturday’s game did not feature Nix at his best; the Pinson, Alabama, product went 20 for 41 for just 153 yards and an interception. He also lost a fumble that A&M turned into a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Harsin acknowledged Nix played far from his best game but asserted there was plenty of blame to go around.
“There were things and reasons why; you know, it’s not always just on that one particular position,” the Auburn coach said. “And I’ve said that before. I think the quarterback gets way too much credit and way too much blame, and I still believe that.”
Nix matches up with a Mississippi State defense that ranks No. 20 in total yards allowed per game but just 65th in scoring average, a disconnect partly attributable to two punt-return touchdowns that mar the Bulldogs’ image. MSU also dominates time of possession, not allowing opponents to run a ton of plays and pile up yards.
Harsin mentioned cornerback Martin Emerson and linebackers Jett Johnson and Tyrus Wheat among the visiting players likely to pose the biggest challenge for his team.
“This defense is very good, so they’ve shown that,” Harsin said. “I think they do a very good job of preparing their defense to go play against the different styles of offenses in the SEC.”
That includes Auburn and an offense that is currently reeling. But with three regular-season games remaining, the Tigers know they still have plenty to play for.
And that starts Saturday when the Bulldogs come to town.
“A lot of work to be done, and if we’re going to win these remaining games that we have a chance to play in and we’re going to beat Mississippi State, we’ve got to score touchdowns at the end of the day,” Harsin said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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