Auburn wide receiver D'haquille Williams (1) is tackled by Mississippi State defensive back Kivon Coman (11) in the first half of their NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss. on Saturday.
SEC
Southeastern ConferenceThere is a former Florida football offensive mastermind, namely State Spurrier, who has been fond of saying "statistics are for losers."
Another former Florida play-caller, Dan Mullen, apparently subscribes to the same theory. Mullen, now the head coach of top-ranked Mississippi State, was all smiles when discussing the defensive efforts in Saturday's 38-23 victory over then second-ranked Auburn.
"I've got a lot of confidence in our defense," Mullen said minutes after the biggest win in the 100 years of Davis Wade Stadium. "You're playing one of the top offenses out there in Auburn, and sometimes people will look at the statistics and crack on our defense. We gave up 441 yards and 23 points, but they make the plays they need to make.
"You have to look at what is behind the statistics, and what's behind our statistics is that our defense makes the plays they need to make for us to win football games."
Mullen and junior quarterback Dak Prescott took turns before the CBS and ESPN cameras following Saturday's euphoric win. Prescott threw for 246 yards and rushed for 121 to solidify his standing as a prominent player in the Heisman Trophy landscape.
Prescott did throw two interceptions in the second quarter, but those mistakes cost the Bulldogs only three points due to his stingy defensive teammates.
"Mississippi State's defense has always been a strong point of the team, but they're really great this year," Prescott said. "On third-and-short or whatever it is, I believe they're going to get off the field, and most of the time they do."
Auburn's first play from scrimmage Saturday was a Nick Marshall pass that was tipped at the line and intercepted by Bulldogs strong safety Jay Hughes. Its second play was a 7-yard pass from Marshall to Duke Williams, who was instantly stripped by cornerback Taveze Calhoun, causing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Benardrick McKinney.
The Tigers did not turn the ball over on their third possession but managed just 11 yards, and Mississippi State responded with a seven-play, 71-yard touchdown drive for a 21-0 lead.
"That was all on the defense," Prescott said. "It was a great job by them, giving us great field position in the first quarter. We started with a three-and-out, and they started getting us some turnovers."
Said Hughes: "The only reason I got my interception was because of the guys up front. They played a heck of a game. I think we've got the best front seven in the country."
Mississippi State does have a deep and imposing defensive front with the likes of Preston Smith, Kaleb Eulls, Chris Jones, P.J. Jones, Ryan Brown and Nelson Adams. Smith had four quarterback pressures, while McKinney continued his bid for All-America honors with five tackles, a pass breakup and the fumble recovery against the Tigers.
The Bulldogs pressured Marshall 13 times overall, the most by an Auburn opponent since 2007.
"Throughout the week we studied him to get any advantage we could so we could know his strengths and weaknesses and what he was comfortable with," Eulls said. "We tried to get him out of his comfort zone."
Marshall threw for 209 yards and rushed for 100 but never looked in rhythm. A week after torching LSU to catapult himself into the Heisman picture, Marshall completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, suffered three sacks and was intercepted twice.
The Bulldogs have reached the midway mark of the season with a 6-0 record and a 3-0 mark in SEC play. They are off this week before visiting Kentucky, and they head into the second half of their season with a very legitimate defense.
Regardless of what the statistics might say.
"It makes me feel good that we can fake a punt or take some shots if you're not perfect on offense," Mullen said, "because the defense is going to be right there to make plays when you need them."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.