Auburn on the Road to Mississippi State with Interim Coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams

FILE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams holds his Rookie of the Year trophy during a press conference in Detroit, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Auburn plays at Mississippi State in its first game since firing Bryan Harsin on Monday and replacing him with Carnell “Cadillac” Williams on an interim basis.

The Tigers have lost five of six.

Mississippi State is coming off an open date after consecutive losses to Kentucky and Alabama. Will Rogers remains the SEC’s top passer and leader in total offense and needs one touchdown pass to surpass Dak Prescott’s school record of 70.

Auburn (3-5, 1-4 SEC) has lost five of six and looks to get back on track. Mississippi State (5-3, 2-3 SEC) is coming off an open date after dropping its second in a row at No. 6 Alabama.

A key matchup is Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers vs. Auburn’s pass defense. Rogers tossed six touchdown passes in last year’s record-breaking comeback and has kept on rolling. The Tigers’ pass defense has been a bright spot, ranking fourth in the conference at 193.8 yards per contest. But slowing the fast-paced Air Raid is a tall task, and they will look to Derick Hall and Colby Wooden to provide pressure.

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby, a preseason All-SEC pick, has had an up-and-down season. Maybe he’ll get a boost with his position coach leading the team. Bigsby has produced more than half of his 587 yards rushing against Mercer (147) and Mississippi (179).

As for Auburn’s revamped coaching staff, Williams, 40, will make his head coaching debut after starring at Auburn as a player. Former Auburn and NFL lineman Kendall Simmons will guide the offensive line while Will Friend moves over to serve as co-offensive coordinator with receivers coach Ike Hilliard. Offensive analyst Joe Bernardi will coach the tight ends.

Kickoff is at 6:30PM Saturday on ESPN2.

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