Tonight could get offensive

Auburn and Mississippi State open the SEC's league schedule tonight at Davis Wade Stadium, which was the site two years ago of Auburn's 3-2 win that didn't require extra innings.

Last week:Winners.................22Oh, Nutts................3Pasquali is 22-3 overall (88.0 percent) this season.E-mail David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com

Both teams displayed dynamic offenses most of last season and again last Saturday, with Mississippi State routing Memphis 49-7 and Auburn doubling up Arkansas State 52-26, but can they play defense? MSU did last week after allowing 24 or more points nine teams last season, including a 49-24 loss at Auburn.

"I've always been an offensive guy, but for us to be a successful program and a championship program, it's going to be built on defense," Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said Wednesday. "The great Mississippi State teams of the past have always been built on great defense, and we're not going to change that."

Arkansas State threw for 323 yards in becoming the 13th consecutive team to score 20 or more points against Gene Chizik's Tigers.

"They threw the ball 49 times, and we did have four sacks and put the quarterback on the ground quite a few times," Chizik said. "We held them to 43 yards rushing, so there are some bright spots in there. We do have a huge, huge area for improvement, and that's all through our defense."

Pasquali's Pix:

Auburn at Mississippi State: Quarterback Cam Newton chose to sign with the Tigers over the Bulldogs last New Year's Eve. Tigers 31, Bulldogs 30.

Georgia at South Carolina: The Gamecocks are so tempting, but they are 535-536-44 all-time because of games just like this. Bulldogs 20, Gamecocks 17.

Georgia Tech at Kansas: This marks the first decent matchup of BCS conference programs ever to be lessened by a loss to North Dakota State. Yellow Jackets 34, Jayhawks 21.

Florida State at Oklahoma: Allowing 341 passing yards to Utah State wasn't the best introduction for new Sooners secondary coach and former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez. Sooners 33, Seminoles 29.

Penn State at Alabama: After Monday night's Boise State-Virginia Tech game, it will be nice to see some uniforms that don't cause nausea. Crimson Tide 30, Nittany Lions 10.

UTC at Jacksonville State: The first team to force a three-and-out wins. Gamecocks 37, Mocs 34.

Oregon at Tennessee: What everyone at Neyland Stadium wouldn't give for a Saturday undercard of New Mexico versus UT-Martin. Ducks 31, Vols 24.

LSU at Vanderbilt: Not the most articulate SEC head coaches ever assembled, but they are intriguing nonetheless. Tigers 24, Commodores 9.


OTHER PICKS

Florida 29, South Florida 10

Arkansas 56, UL-Monroe 14

Kentucky 37, W. Kentucky 7

Notre Dame 20, Michigan 16

Ole Miss 33, Tulane 20

Ohio State 24, Miami 17

Wake Forest 23, Duke 22

Va. Tech 41, James Madison 3

Clemson 45, Presbyterian 0

Maryland 48, Morgan State 10

N.C. State 24, UCF 21

Southern Cal 27, Virginia 24

MTSU 31, Austin Peay 6

West Virginia 34, Marshall 24

TCU 59, Tennessee Tech 7

Texas 49, Wyoming 16

Iowa 26, Iowa State 23

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