The Auburn Tigers’ upcoming matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs has big implications: if the Tigers can take down the Bulldogs in Starkville this weekend, they will have already locked up bowl eligibility in Alex Golesh’s first year on the Plains, a massive step up from the struggles the Tigers have had in recent seasons.

For that to happen, though, the Tigers will need to put together a strong offensive performance, ideally with none of the first-half struggles the team dealt with last week against Arkansas. A few Tigers could make all the difference in that effort– let’s break them down.

Byrum Brown - Quarterback

Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby said it best in his Monday press conference when he said that Auburn’s entire offense runs through their senior quarterback, and if the Tigers want to be successful in Starkville, they’ll need to get Brown going as quickly as possible, either through the air or on the ground.

Brown managed over 300 yards of total offense against the Razorbacks last week with just 180 passing yards, and it is worth noting that the Tigers’ signal-caller has not thrown an interception since before the bye week, a streak that he will be looking to keep alive this weekend.

A big game from Brown makes the Tigers nearly unstoppable–just ask Georgia–but if he flounders, the Tigers’ offense becomes almost laughably easy to slow down, as they tend to get in their own way more than any defense is able to stop them.

Chas Nimrod - Wide Receiver

The Tigers have not shown much of an affinity for rushing the ball through their running backs over the last few weeks, so any explosive play will likely come via a big Byrum Brown rush or a deep ball to Nimrod, Keshaun Singleton or the now-healthy Jeremiah Koger, but Nimrod has proven an innate ability to find the end zone that has resulted in his current status as team leader in receiving touchdowns with five.

Nimrod is also averaging nearly 11 yards per reception, a welcome sight for a Tiger offense that has so often struggled to find just 10 yards of offense for a first down. If the Tigers are to win this one, I would expect Nimrod to play a big part in it.

Jeremiah Cobb - Running Back

The Tigers’ rushing offense, Brown’s rushing production aside, has been nearly nonexistent over the past few weeks, as the Tigers seem to be operating entirely behind Byrum Brown’s legs, leaving the senior with just 396 yards throughout his senior season. However, Mississippi State has struggled to defend the run this season, and Cobb could very well take advantage of that fact, even with limited carries.

All season, the Tigers appear to have been waiting for a reason to use their running backs, and Mississippi State may just give them that opportunity, especially if they are able to keep Byrum Brown’s rushing contained. At the very least, Cobb should be able to establish a reasonable threat to rush, which should open up the rest of the Tigers’ offense.