Auburn Daily

Five winners from Auburn's win over Mississippi State

These five guys played well against Mississippi State.

Andrew Stefaniak

Five winners from Auburn's win over Mississippi State
Five winners from Auburn's win over Mississippi State /
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Auburn was able to take down the Mississippi State Bulldogs in front of a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium, which was the first of many SEC wins Hugh Freeze will accumulate on the Plains.

Auburn's offense came out of the gate firing and looked really good in the first half against Mississippi State, then slowed a bit in the second half.

This was a tad bit frustrating, but a win is a win, and the losing streak is finally over.

Let's take a look at five Auburn Tigers who played well against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. 

Payton Thorne

Payton Thorne
Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Auburn fans have been waiting for it all season, and for the first time in SEC play, Payton Thorne put up big numbers. Thorne was 20-26 for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Thorne also ran the football eight times for 38 yards. If this version of Thorne shows up the rest of the season, the Tigers could be dangerous. If he plays like this against Alabama, the Tigers could upset the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl. 

Jarquez Hunter

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Jarquez Hunter put up a massive stat line for the Auburn Tigers, rushing for 144 yards on 17 carries. This gave Hunter an average of 8.5 yards per carry. He also caught two passes for 26 yards. As previously stated about Thorne, if Auburn gets this version of Hunter for the rest of the season, the Tigers remaining opponent needs to get off the tracks because the train is coming. 

Ja'Varrius Johnson

Ja'varrius Johnson returning a punt against Mercer.
Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Ja'Varrius Johnson had a good game for the Tigers, where he reeled in two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. The veteran deep threat hasn't gotten going this season, but perhaps this big game against Mississippi State will spark the speedy wideout. Auburn hasn't pushed the ball downfield all that much this season, but they did on the touchdown to Johnson. Hopefully, we see more of this going forward. 

Eugene Asante

Eugene Asante vs UMass
Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Eugene Asante is Mr. Consistent for the Auburn Tigers. He just always plays good football. Against Mississippi State, Asante had a game-leading ten tackles and a tackle for loss. He sure has made himself some money, as the NFL should come calling after the season he has put together on the Plains. Asante graded out at a 77.8 on PFF, which was the second-best grade on defense, as he was only behind Cam Riley, who had an 89.8. 

Alex McPherson

Alex McPherson
Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

One thing Auburn fans might have missed early on into the season is how good kicker Alex McPherson has been. He hasn't missed a single kick all season. The sophomore is 8-8 on field goals and 25-25 on extra points. Having a reliable kicker in a big deal, and the Tigers sure do have one in McPherson. 

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Andrew Stefaniak
ANDREW STEFANIAK

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