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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- All week Mississippi State had heard
about Auburn's bruising running game and big, bad Rudi Johnson.
Frankly, the Bulldogs had had enough.
|  | | Justin Griffith sprints into the endzone, giving Mississippi State a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. |
No. 20 Mississippi State held Johnson, the Southeastern
Conference's leading rusher, to just 26 yards, and Dicenzo Miller
ran for 136 as the Bulldogs beat the Tigers (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) 17-10 on
Saturday.
Fred Smoot said that the Mississippi State coaches had told the
Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) that Auburn (5-1, 3-1) was a more physical
team than they were.
"We think we're the most physical team," said the senior
cornerback. "We had to go out and prove it."
Johnson entered the game averaging 143.2 yards. The junior
college transfer had surpassed 100 yards rushing in each of his
first five Division I-A games.
Mississippi State came in allowing just 26 yards a game rushing
and was determined to keep Johnson from extending his streak.
"They ain't been hit like that," Smoot said. "And I know for
a fact Rudi Johnson ain't been hit like that."
Coming off a game in which they held Florida to minus-78 yards
rushing, the Bulldogs were even better Saturday. Mississippi State
penetrated Auburn's offensive line consistently, rarely giving the
230-pound Johnson a chance to pick up a head of steam.
Johnson ran 18 times and took a beating from a defense that
missed few tackles. Auburn rushed for a total of 18 yards on 19
attempts.
"They did a great job flowing to the football," Johnson said.
Johnson wasn't the only Tiger to take a pounding. The Bulldogs
hammered Auburn's receivers, often jarring loose passes, and kept
quarterback Ben Leard under steady pressure.
"Our goal is to pursue the ball, 11 guys running to the
football," said Mississippi State linebacker Mario Haggan, who was
usually free to run to the ball carrier while Bulldogs defensive
linemen manhandled Auburn blockers.
The Tigers fueled an already charged up bunch of Bulldogs when a
group of Auburn players -- responding to some pregame taunts by
Mississippi State -- did a Terrell Owens-type stomp on Mississippi
State's 'M' logo before the game.
"All those licks that got laid today, they were personal,"
Smoot said.
Auburn gained only 164 yards and did not have a first down in
the first half. Mississippi State had 343 total yards.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville apologized to Tigers fans who made
the trip 238-mile trip from Auburn to Starkville to see their team
play.
"I thought the kicking game was good," he said. "Other than
that, we should have left everybody else at home."
Miller turned out to be the running star, averaging 6.8 yards on
his 20 rushes.
The Bulldogs led 17-0 at the half but turnovers in the second
half helped the Tigers to get back into the game.
After the second Bulldogs' giveaway, a fumble by Donte Walker
that Auburn recovered at its own 41 in the fourth quarter, Auburn
put together it's first sustained drive of the game.
Leard completed five passes to set up a third-and-goal at the
Mississippi State 1.
As expected the ball went to Johnson on the third-and-goal, but
as was the case most of the game, Auburn's line couldn't keep the
Bulldogs out of the backfield and Johnson lost a yard.
Damon Duval kicked a 19-yard field goal to make the score 17-3
at 11:09.
A fumbled snap on a punt by Mississippi State on its next
possession gave Auburn the ball first-and-goal at the Bulldogs' 1.
This time Johnson went off tackle for the touchdown to make the
score 17-10 with 8:50 left in the game.
Auburn had one last chance, taking over at its own 4 with 4:05
left, but couldn't get the ball past its 20 and Mississippi State
ran out the clock.
Mississippi State's offense did all its work in the first half.
Wayne Madkin avoided a rush and found fullback Justin Griffith
wide-open down the right sideline for a 41-yard touchdown and a
10-0 lead with 12 minutes left in the second quarter.
Madkin took a hard hit on the play and suffered a bruised chest.
He sat out the next three drives, but it didn't keep the Bulldogs
from expanding their lead.
Backup quarterback Kevin Fant led the Bulldogs on a 64-yard
touchdown drive, highlighted by a 30-yard run by Miller.
Fant stretched the ball over the goal line on a sneak from the 1
to give Mississippi State a 17-0 lead with 2:16 left in the first
half.
It was Mississippi State's fourth straight win over Auburn and
second straight over a ranked opponent after beating Florida last
week.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Auburn Clubhouse
Mississippi State Clubhouse
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