Auburn football is one win away from clinching bowl eligibility and will need a strong offensive showing on Saturday against Mississippi State to reach that goal.

One way to do that is to avoid another slow start. Auburn failed to score in its first six drives of Week 10's game against Arkansas, and gained just 18 rushing yards and three points in the first half. Auburn bounced back by outscoring the Razorbacks 23-13 and outgaining them 254-176 in the final 30 minutes to squeak out a 26-23 win.

Auburn offensive coordinator Joel Gordon took some of the blame for Auburn's slow start against Arkansas during Monday's press conference, saying he needs to put players into a better position to succeed. That starts by setting the standard early in the game.

"We just have to continue to make sure that everything that we're asking the players to do early in the game, even if you get some crazy looks that you're not expecting, that we can handle what it is. We can't have chaos or breakdowns," Gordon said this week.

Starting fast is a great way for Auburn's offense to set the tone against Mississippi State, but several other factors need to bounce Auburn's way on Saturday for the Tigers to earn the win. Here are three offensive keys for the Auburn Tigers ahead of Saturday's game at Mississippi State.

Auburn must run the football

Auburn has a great chance to dominate the run game on Saturday, but it must create opportunities.

Auburn running back Jeremiah Cobb's 11 carries in last week's game against Arkansas nearly matched the total he got in the Tigers' two previous games combined, but he still rushed for just 41 yards. Omar Mabson has just 13 carries for 36 yards over his last three games.

Mississippi State's defense allows teams to rush for 121 yards per game, and Auburn must find ways to incorporate Cobb and Mabson into the run game to take some of the load off Byrum Brown.

Byrum Brown must control the skies

Mississippi State gives up 251 passing yards per game, which could be a good sign for Byrum Brown and Auburn's passing game. Brown averages 193 passing yards per game and has passed for over 150 yards in five straight games. He has also been more selective with his throws lately, not throwing an interception in four straight games.

Brown can lead his team to a win on Saturday by continuing this upward trend.

Auburn must win the battle on 3rd and 4th downs

Auburn is one of the SEC's best at converting 3rd and 4th downs. The Tigers rank No. 6 in the SEC by converting 42% of their 3rd-down chances and rank No. 3 in 4th-down conversions with 68% success.

Mississippi State's defense allows its opponents to convert 39% of 3rd downs and 73% of 4th downs.

Auburn football needs to extend drives on Saturday and keep the ball out of Mississippi State's offense's hands for as long as possible.