It's an off day on the Auburn beat, a rare Saturday during the fall away from the football stadium. Naturally, I'm going to spend the entire day watching football on TV. Ahh, variety.

Anyway, I wrote a follow-up story on Auburn's 17-14 win at Mississippi State. It's about how the offense struggled to seal the deal in the second half. Here's how it starts:

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Cam Newton was fully aware of why Auburn came away with a 17-14 win at Mississippi State on Thursday night.

The quarterback knew it had little to do with him or any other member of the offense.

“We put our defense in some binds,” he said, “I’m not going to sit up here and lie. Our defense had a heck of a game. And that’s the sign of a good team.

“When the offense isn’t going so hot, the defense has to be able to step up and hold the team down, and they did that.”

Auburn is 2-0 and the only SEC team with a league win because of a strong defensive effort, holding Mississippi State to 246 yards in the game and no points in the final 24 minutes.

But the Tigers struggled offensively, gaining only 348 yards, the first time in offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s time on the Plains they’ve gained less than 400 yards in a game and won.

Read the rest here. Follow the blog on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook.

Thursday night's game wasn't quite the offensive showcase everybody thought it was going to be. Here's a sneak peak at how tomorrow's game story starts:

STARKVILLE, Miss. — With its All-SEC left tackle and starting running back sidelined by injuries, Auburn's offense had plenty of issues, even before it took into account the deafening noise of 55,000 constantly clanging cowbells.

It's a good thing the Tigers' much-maligned defense came to the rescue.

No. 20 Auburn's defense silenced its critics with an inspired performance in the SEC opener, holding Mississippi Sate scoreless for the final 24 minutes of the Tigers' 17-14 nail-biter of a victory Thursday night at Davis Wade Stadium.

"There are a lot of experts out there," oft-criticized Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. "I was really proud of how hard they fought together and hung together. It wasn't always pretty, but to hold them to 240 yards, I'm really proud of that."

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was the offensive star for the second straight week, throwing for two first-half touchdowns and accounting for 208 total yards. But when Gus Malzahn's high-octane offense stalled after halftime, Roof's beleaguered defensive unit saved the day.

There's your taste. Read the full thing by clicking here. But we'll hit some bullet points before we call it a night:

• Auburn (2-0, 1-0 SEC) has won 17 of its last 18 SEC openers.

• How good was the defense? MSU finished with 246 yards. After the Bulldogs scored to cut the lead to 17-14, the Tigers allowed only 73 yards over the next five drives, forcing three three-and-outs. "I've got to give a lot of credit to coach Roof," Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. "He had a great game plan going on. He worked hard on getting the right players in the right spot. They played as hard as I've seen them play."

• That said, Auburn certainly lucked out that Leon Berry didn't catch that gimme pass up the sideline on third-and-10 of the final drive. MSU would have been inside the Auburn 15 and well within field goal range had Berry reeled it in. Dan Mullen was extremely frustrated by his team's five drops afterward.

• Who's the star of the game? Defensive tackle Nick Fairley. Five tackles, three quarterback hurries, 2.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. "Is that hitting for the cycle in football?" Roof joked.

• The defense hounded MSU quarterbacks Chris Relf and Tyler Russell, getting three sacks and four quarterback hurries, almost all of it by Auburn's four down defensive linemen. The QBs combined to go 16-for-35 for 129 yards and an interception.

• Other defensive standouts: Eltoro Freeman had a team-high nine tackles and one TFL. Zach Etheridge and Aairon Savage had six tackles apiece.

• LB Josh Bynes had a strong day, finishing with six tackles and a quarterback hurry. "There's a lot of value in a guy who can run the operation," Roof said. "He's becoming more of a physical linebacker. That Alabama game last year was a turning point. He's hard on himself and that's a wonderful thing."

• Injuries. There were a couple. LT Lee Ziemba went down in the second quarter with a right knee injury. He didn't return, watching the second half in street clothes. If there's any good news for Auburn in this deal, it's that Ziemba was walking on the sideline without the aid of crutches. Remember, Ziemba's got a career starts record he's chasing. It'll be interesting to see if he can go. At least he has nine days to rest up. By the way, Brandon Mosley filled in for him at left tackle. Good thing the Tigers created some depth this preseason.

• RB Mario Fannin looked like he went down with a stinger in his left shoulder after a hard collision in the fourth quarter. He didn't have pads on near the end, so getting back in the game was out of the question.

• Offensively, it was a good first half for Auburn. Newton threw touchdown passes to Emory Blake and Darvin Adams. He also ran for 59 of his team-high 70 yards. But Auburn's offense only gained 133 yards in the second half and failed to score. MSU got a little wiser to Newton's designed runs and nearly jumped a wide receiver screen for a pick-six. It seemed like the Tigers were out of sorts in their play-calling, something you don't normally see.

• Your running back tally: Onterio McCalebb 12 carries, 68 yards; Mike Dyer 9 carries, 48 yards; Fannin 5 carries, 6 yards. Yes, it certainly appears as though Fannin will not get the bulk of carries this year. And it should be noted, when Auburn was trying to run out the clock at the end, it was Dyer who got the ball. He reeled off two nice, long runs at the start of the drive too.

• Another game, another muffed punt. The coaches kept Quindarius Carr in the game afterward and he cleanly fielded a few more, but that's got to be nerve-racking for the coaches.

• Freshman WR Trovon Reed was here but didn't play. Don't know if the injury or circumstances kept him out of action.

• It'll be interesting to see if Mississippi State gets the full $50,000 fine for its fans ringing those cowbells at unauthorized times. They didn't even come close to following the guidelines, which, quite honestly, was the most predictable thing to happen on the night. I wonder how quickly the SEC will revisit MSU's noisemaker exemption.

• Final thought from Chizik: "It won't be perfect when we look at it tomorrow, but it was good enough."

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Auburn's SEC opener is going well, no matter how many cowbells are ringing in the background.

Quarterback Cam Newton's two touchdown passes have given the No. 20 Tigers a 17-7 lead heading into halftime against Mississippi State.

Newton finished with 83 passing yards and 59 rushing yards in the first half. Running back Onterio McCalebb added 64 rushing yards.

He got Auburn on the board on the opening drive with a 39-yard wide receiver screen to Emory Blake, who darted past MSU defenders for his first career touchdown.

The Bulldogs came back after Quindarius Carr's muffed punt gave them possession at the Auburn 20. MSU scored three plays later when left guard Gabe Jackson recovered quarterback Chris Relf's forward fumble in the end zone to tie the game at 7.

The Tigers responded with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Darvin Adams that made it 14-7.

Wes Byrum added a 34-yard field goal before halftime.

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley has had a big half for Auburn, with a sack, an interception and a fumble recover.

Auburn has limited Mississippi State to 125 yards.

You're looking LIVE at an empty Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, where the faint clanging of cowbells is ubiquitous throughout the city.

It is a steamy one out here right now, which I can imagine will improve a little bit by gametime, but not that much.

First impressions of Starkville: pretty nice campus. Very pastoral. I like the tailgating set up just outside the stadium with plenty of tents set up in a central open yard. It's easy to find a focal point for the pre-game celebrations, which isn't always the case at most schools.

As for the cowbells, they're everywhere. It's funny, a chorus of cowbell clanging will break out in certain parts of the tailgating area and it will crescendo until everyone gets tired of banging on them. Then it picks up in a different area. So there's pretty much a constant sound of cowbells going on. Bruce Dickinson would be proud how the fans are exploring the stadium space.

This will serve as your all-encompassing pre-game post, with updates about players and any other information I can scrape together before the game starts. Follow the blog on Twitter for any big pre-game news. I plan to tweet crucial information throughout the game as well. I'll throw all other minutia on the blog, so check back.

UPDATE (4:15 p.m.): Here's a bunch of information about the game from the schools' notes packets:

• Auburn is 16-1 in its last 17 season openers.

• The Tigers are 6-2 all-time in Thursday night games, including 4-0 in SEC games. Their last ESPN Thursday night game versus an SEC opponent was against Mississippi State in 2002. Auburn won 42-14. South Carolina in 2006. Auburn won 24-17.

• The Bulldogs are 6-8 in Thursday night games.

• Auburn leads the series 58-23-2 and has won 21 of the last 28 overall.

• MSU and Auburn rank 1 and 2 nationally in passing efficiency.

• Cam Newton leads the SEC in rushing (171 yards) and total offense (357 yards) after one week.

• Auburn has topped 500 yards five times in 14 games under Gus Malzahn. The Tigers had not reached the 500-yard mark in the 40 games prior to Malzahn's arrival.

• The Tigers played 12 true freshmen in the opener. Expect at least one more to get on the field tonight: WR Trovon Reed, who missed the opener with a bruised knee cap.

• The stat that keeps on giving: Auburn has won 57 straight games when scoring 30 or more points, dating back to 1996.

• MSU's last four home games have been sellouts. This one looks like it'll be that way too. Davis Wade stadium holds 55,082 fans.

• The 569 yards the Bulldogs put up in a 49-7 season-opening win against Memphis was the fifth-highest mark in school history.

• MSU led the SEC in rushing last year, averaging 227.6 yards per game. The Bulldogs ran for 197 yards on 41 carries in the opener.

• The Bulldogs had two receivers top 100 yards in the opener: sophomores Chad Bumphis (112) and Brandon Heavens (100). Heavens is a former Auburn commit.

UPDATE (4:42 p.m.): MSU coach Dan Mullen just came out to the field and put his hand up to his ear Hulk Hogan style to get the students to clang their cowbells. And clang they did. I wonder if they'll have the endurance to ring those things throughout.

UPDATE (4:59 p.m.): Auburn just came out for its pre-game gathering on the field. I've got a pair of binoculars and did not see LB Craig Stevens out there.

UPDATE (5:02 p.m): WR Trovon Reed is on the trip.

UPDATE (5:40 p.m.): Freshmen P Steven Clark and PK Cody Parkey both on the trip.

UPDATE (5:49 p.m.): Reed's out there with the other kick returners. Looks like he has a pretty good wrap on his left knee. He seems to be able to dance pretty well to D.J. Khaled's "All I Do is Win," though.

UPDATE (6:04 p.m.): Auburn just took the field. No Stevens. No Jonathon Mincy. CB Chris Davis is out there.

I'll be driving to Starkville this afternoon, but here's today's game advance to tide you over.

AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn players who made the trip to Starkville two years ago have vivid memories of the offensively-challenged 3-2 Tigers victory that became a national punchline, even if they described it in a variety of ways.

“Yeah, a baseball score,” left guard Mike Berry said.

“It was a soccer game, wasn’t it?” left tackle Lee Ziemba said.

“It was a different time and place. It’s obviously not likely to happen again this week.”

That’s a safe bet. Auburn and Mississippi State bring two high-powered offenses into their nationally-televised ESPN matchup tonight, a vast departure from the schools’ tried-and-tested roots.

The sputtering offenses that spelled doom for both Tommy Tuberville and Sylvester Croom in 2008 are long gone. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen have the teams on the cutting edge in offensive innovation, part of an SEC-wide movement.

Read the whole thing here. Follow the blog on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook.

This is coming a little bit later than usual because of the screwy short week, but here's a breakdown of the Auburn-Mississippi State game.

We're trying a different format this time. We'll see how it goes. Let me know how you like it:

No. 20 Auburn at Mississippi State

• Where: Davis Wade Stadium
  
• When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Records: Auburn 1-0, Mississippi State 1-0
  

Auburn passing game vs. MSU secondary

While Cam Newton's running ability got most of the headlines last week, he didn't have a shabby passing day either, completing 9 of 14 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. MSU's Johnathan Banks and Corey Broomfield are emerging young cornerbacks, but they might be left on an island against Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery if the Bulldogs have to commit a player to spy Newton. That should open things up for Adams and Zachery to catch more than the three passes they caught in the opener. Edge: Auburn.

Auburn running backs vs. MSU linebackers

It appears Mario Fannin might not be the No. 1 option for Auburn anymore after Onterio McCalebb and Mike Dyer had strong performances in the opener. While there doesn't seem to be a workhorse back among the three like Ben Tate last year, they all bring different styles to the table — Fannin's got elusiveness, Dyer decisiveness and McCalebb speed. MSUs' trio of senior linebackers are solid, led by K.J. Wright and Chris White, but the Tigers' versatility is a big advantage. Edge: Auburn.

Auburn offensive line vs. MSU defensive line

Auburn's starting five has made 113 career starts after last week, with RT A.J. Greene seamlessly joining the four returning starters in the opener. The Tigers' rushing stats were partially skewed by Newton's big rushing day, which was mostly improvised, but Auburn still got 196 yards from players other than Newton. MSU's got some play-makers up front, though, led by DE Pernell McPhee, an All-SEC caliber player. This might be the best matchup of the game. Slight edge: Auburn.

MSU passing game vs. Auburn secondary

Chris Relf and Tyler Russell proved to be a great combination at quarterback in the opener, combining to complete 20 of 25 passes for 372 yards and five touchdowns. Chad Bumphis and Brandon Heavens, an Auburn commitment under Tommy Tuberville who the new staff didn't keep in contact with, had huge games against Memphis, combining for nine catches, 212 yards and four scores. Auburn's secondary, meanwhile, got beat up by Arkansas State's short passing game, giving up 367 yards in the air, mostly on underneath routes. Big edge: MSU.

MSU running backs vs. Auburn linebackers

The Bulldogs don't appear to have a workhorse back to replace Anthony Dixon, who graduated after having a big senior year. Junior Vick Ballard ran for 60 yards in the opener and redshirt freshman LaDarius Perkins ran for 57. It appears as though it will be a committee approach this year. Even without OLB Craig Stevens, who will likely miss his second game because of a team-imposed suspension, Auburn is solid in the linebacking corps. Josh Bynes is an All-SEC performer with the experience to boot. Converted safety Daren Bates made a team-high 10 tackles in his first game at OLB, and Stevens' replacement, Eltoro Freeman, could be an asset against a physical, smashmouth group like MSU. Edge: Auburn.

MSU offensive line vs. Auburn defensive line

The Bulldogs return four starters up front from a unit that led the SEC with 227 yards per game. All-American candidate Derek Sherrod, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound mountain of a left tackle, leads the way. While Auburn's line limited Arkansas State to 43 rushing yards, this still isn't a battle-tested group once you get beyond the starters. Three true freshmen — Corey Lemonier, Jeffrey Whitaker and Craig Sanders — and redshirt freshman Nosa Eguae made their debuts last week. While they looked good against Arkansas State, Mississippi State is a whole different challenge. Edge: MSU

Auburn return units vs. MSU coverage teams

The Tigers didn't break any big ones against Arkansas State, although Demond Washington, Zachery and McCalebb certainly have the capability. Quindarius Carr gave the punt return team a boost, averaging 9.4 yards per return and not fumbling the ball once. MSU allowed one punt for 1 yard last week, although the kick return team allowed 23 yards per return. Heath Hutchins averaged 39.5 yards per punt. Slight edge: Auburn

MSU return units vs. Auburn coverage teams

Although they didn't get many opportunities in the opener, the Bulldogs have dangerous returners on kicks and punts in Bumphis and Leon Berry. Berry set MSU's single-season record in kick return yardage last year with 1,105 yards, the second-highest total in SEC history. He averaged 26.7 yards per return and took one back for a touchdown. Flush with extra bodies from last year's recruiting class, Auburn's kick coverage teams showed improvement in the opener. Sanders had three special teams tackles alone. Punter Ryan Shoemaker got enough hang time not to allow many returns, but he averaged only 39.2 yards per punt. Edge: MSU.

Kickers

There's no good way to match these up against an opponent, so we'll just do a heads-up comparison. Auburn's Wes Byrum nailed his only field goal attempt in the opener, a 24-yarder, after nearly being perfect last year. MSU's Sean Brauchle missed his only attempt from 38 yards. He's 6-for-10 in his carer. Edge: Auburn.

Coaches

Gene Chizik got the best of Dan Mullen in the coaches' SEC debut at Jordan-Hare Stadium a year ago, but both have energized their respective program. Despite a 3-5 SEC record last year, Chizik won eight games, including a thriller in the Outback Bowl, and put together a top-five recruiting class. Mullen won two of his final four games last year, including a 41-27 win against state rival Ole Miss that sent a message. Although the Bulldogs are breaking in new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, which could lead to complications, the Tigers have defensive issues of their own under Ted Roof, who is starting to feel some heat after Auburn gave up 26 points to Arkansas State in the opener. Edge: Push.

Prediction

ESPN Thursday night games are hard to predict. The home team seems to have quite an advantage in these contests, and MSU should have a rabid crowd ready to clang on those cowbells as much as they can. Don't expect much defense in this one, with both teams' offenses primed to put up big numbers. I think it will come down to quarterback play. And while Newton has less SEC experience than Relf, I'd take him in a pressure situation over someone who is still splitting time at the position. This one will be close, and quite honestly wouldn't shock me if it went the other way, but I'll take the Tigers in a tight one. Final score: Auburn 38, Mississippi State 33.

Baseball coach John Pawlowski cashed in on Auburn's regional run last year, agreeing to a two-year contract extension that will run through 2015.

Pawlowski will have a guaranteed salary of $315,000, up from $300,000, according to the Opelika-Auburn News.

"Our staff will continue to work and build a program that we all can be proud of both on and off the field and in the classroom,” Pawlowski said. “Winning the West and having the opportunity to not only participate in but to host a NCAA Regional last year will certainly help us as we prepare for the 2011 season and beyond.”

In his second season, Pawlowski guided the Tigers to a 43-21 record and their first SEC West division title in 15 years. Auburn's 20-10 SEC record was its best in school history. In two years, Pawlowski has gone 74-46.

“We’re very appreciative of what John and his staff have done with the baseball program since their arrival at Auburn,” Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said. “Winning the SEC West and hosting an NCAA Regional certainly made this past season a memorable one, and we look forward to them continuing to build off the success they have achieved.”

Auburn had 11 players selected in the MLB Draft last season, a school record.

We had another excellent live chat this afternoon. Lots of participation, which is great. If you missed it, you can read a replay here.

It'll be back on the normal Thursday next week.

When it's a Thursday night game, you pretty well exhaust all questions well before the Wednesday teleconference. But we at the blog listened in anyways. Here are the finer points:

Auburn coach Gene Chizik:

• Opening statement: "This is going to be an extremely tough battle. Starkville is always a tough place to play. Mississippi State is a much, much improved team from when we played them last year."

• It's not Michael Dyer anymore. It's Mike. Gene didn't know about the name situation. "We probably call him a plethora of things." As for Dyer's game: "We know he's a downhill runner, if there's a crack in there he'll run it tough and he's got good vision and he can see openings and be able to make cuts. We know he just naturally has that. He just needs to continue to get experience, which we will continue to give him. I think with more gametime experience and the more times he gets to touch the ball, I think the better he's going to become."

• He got a question about the 26 points the defense gave up, but defended his group a little, pointing out the good things the defense did: four sacks, pressure on QB, only 43 rushing yards allowed. "We'll get better," he said. "There's no question."

• On MSU: "The team plays with a lot of confidence. You can tell they've got a lot better feel offensively for what they're doing. ... Overall, just night and day from last year."

• On Cam Newton's big running day: "We didn't really know what to expect. We feel like he's got some escapeability. You never know how that's going to unfold ... I don't want to say that I'm surprised, because I know that he's gifted as an athlete. But it was good to see him when he had those opportunities to be able to do what we thought he could do."

And before Chizik went on, it was Dan Mullen's turn:

• Interesting comment from Mullen, an offensive guy. "For us to be a successful program, ,a championship program, it's going to be built on defense. And if you look in the past of all the great Mississippi State teams, they've always been built on great defense. And we're not going to change that."

• He didn't think this is a make or break game, but thinks starting off 1-0 in the SEC is a "huge advantage."

• Mullen thinks Newton has matured as a quarterback, especially in his decision making. "I think at junior college he learned that maturity that you can stand in the pocket and make plays instead of getting out and making plays."

• MSU nearly got Newton last offseason. How confident was Mullen about landing him? "I'm never comfortable in getting a player until I get that fax. That's the recruiting business there. I felt comfortable that we would have a shot to recruit him. He had offers from almost every school in the country. I think the relationship I had with him made me feel comfortable that we were going to get a visit out of him and were one of the schools we were going to consider. I felt comfortable about that, but as far as getting players, I'm never comfortable until the fax comes through the machine and they show up for classes."

• Mullen said the team was close to burning the redshirt on talented quarterback Tyler Russell last year after a frustrating three-and-out in the Houston game. He told Russell to get ready, but the defense got a three-and-out and Mullen thought it was too short notice to put him in the game. Cooler heads prevailed and Mullen held off playing him all year.
  

• Chris Relf will start at quarterback this week, with Russell coming in after a few series. There was a definitive plan in the first game for the rotation: Relf played the first two, Russell played the next two and Relf played the fifth series. Mullen expects to play Russell in the first half Thursday, but it's not a set plan. The Bulldogs will play things by ear.

Since receiving a one-year window to prove it can clang its cowbells with discretion, Mississippi State has urged its fan to ring responsibly.

Thursday night’s game against Auburn will be the first major test to the SEC’s new guidelines.

The SEC revisited a 36-year ban on artificial noisemakers at the league meetings in Destin, Fla., last spring, coming up with a cowbell compromise that allows Bulldogs fans to ring them at specific times during a football game.

“That’s just one of the things that makes a place unique,” Auburn left tackle Lee Ziemba said. “It’s one of the their traditions, just like we have traditions. You have to look past it. It’s out of our control. You just have to play through it.”

Fans may ring the bells before the game, at halftime, during timeouts and after scores.
Violations of those guidelines could result in the school receiving escalating fines: $5,000 for a first offense, $25,000 for a second and $50,000 for a third. No in-game penalty will be assessed.

Unauthorized cowbell use surged last year as Dan Mullen reinvigorated the program, prompting the SEC to revisit the situation in the offseason.

Although Bulldogs fans followed the rules in a 49-7 win against Memphis last Saturday, Thursday night’s matchup — an ESPN game that is the SEC opener for both schools — figures to be a more lively atmosphere.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik didn’t sound concerned. The Tigers usually have one practice before road games they designate as a “noise day” in order to prepare for hostile crowds.

“In my opinion, every place is really, really loud in the league and every place has its challenges,” Chizik said. “We don’t really think of that any different with the noise factor. We’ll just prepare like we always do.”

From a player’s perspective, however, it’s hard not to notice them.

“Those cowbells, I’m glad they put those rules on them,” linebacker Josh Bynes said. “They used to ring them every three seconds.”

Does Bynes think the MSU fans will respect the rules Thursday?

“Naw,” he said with a laugh.

Follow the blog on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook. And don't forget today's live chat at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. I'll post a link as soon as one's available.