QUICK RECAP: Mississippi State struggles on the road again, falls to Auburn 27-13
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne completed 20 of 26 for 230 yards with three touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 27-13 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday. For Auburn (4-4 overall), it was the first SEC win of the season while the Bulldogs dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the SEC, as well.
Auburn held a 24-3 lead at halftime and ended the day with 416 yards of offense, including 186 on the ground. Jarquez Hunter paced the Tigers with 17 carries for 144 rushing yards.
Mississippi State got a pair of field goals from freshman Kyle Ferrie while Zavion Thomas had the lone touchdown of the day for the Bulldogs. Thomas had a career-best nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Mississippi State quarterback Mike Wright was 16 of 32 passing for 161 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Bulldogs had 345 yards of offense with 184 coming on the ground. Wright led State with 63 rushing yards while freshman Seth Davis had seven carries for 62 yards.
Auburn wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as the Tigers took a 7-0 lead on the game’s first series. Thorne hit Shane Hooks for a 27-yard touchdown pass to cap off the 65-yard drive. The Bulldogs also dented the scoreboard on their first drive via 29-yard field goal by Ferrie, cutting the Auburn lead to 7-3 with 6:20 left in the opening quarter.
The Tigers kept rolling on offense in the first quarter behind the arm of Thorne. Thorne hit Ja’varrius Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown pass to extend the Tigers’ advantage to 14-3 with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
After both teams exchanged punts, the Tigers extended their lead to 17-3 thanks to an Alex McPherson 39 yard field goal with 7:18 remaining in the opening half. Thorne then closed out the half with a seven-yard touchdown toss to Jeremiah Cobb with just nine seconds left in the half, giving Auburn a commanding 24-3 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs return home next weekend to host Kentucky for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Davis Wade Stadium.
