Offense: Rara Thomas

Sophomore wide receiver Rara Thomas has had an up-and-down season but he had one of his best performances on Saturday as he snagged six catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

The Eufaula (Ala.) native now leads the team with 540 receiving yards on the season and is second with five receiving touchdowns. Thomas showcased his versatility by scoring touchdowns in a multitude of ways.

Thomas put his 6'2" 200-pound frame put on display in the second quarter as he mossed Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett on a jump ball in the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, when Mississippi State needed a big play, Thomas rose to the occasion. He used his speed to beat J.D. Rhym on a crossing route to score a 33-yard touchdown untouched and reclaim the lead.

Defense: Tyrus Wheat

Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford grew very familiar with Tyrus Wheat yesterday as the graduate linebacker sacked him twice.

Before halftime, Wheat lined up in the middle of the formation and used his speed to beat the right guard on the edge to sack Robby Ashford and force a punt, limiting some of the momentum the Tigers got after Will Rogers was strip-sacked.

Wheat then made a huge play early in the 3rd quarter with the Tigers in the red zone as he came unblocked on the left side to sack Ashford to force a third and long. Auburn would rush for seven yards on third down and attempt the fourth and short, which they would throw incomplete. It was a much-needed play after Will Rogers threw an interception in Mississippi State territory, and the turnovers on downs could've been the difference in the game.

Wheat also had a chance to put the game away in the fourth quarter as he picked up what looked to be his third sack of the night on a crucial 3rd and eight, but a holding penalty in the secondary wiped the play away.

The former Co-Lin C.C. standout made his presence felt in the run game, too, racking up five tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Special Teams: Tulu Griffin

Tulu Griffin has been fixing to return a kick for a touchdown this season with a 33.2-yard average and he finally got the perfect blocking for a house call Saturday.

Griffin exploded from right to left and cut it upfield, where he had a one-on-one with the kicker, who had no chance to get him as he blasted right by him for his 92-yard kick return touchdown.

It wasn't the only good return that Griffin had as he returned the opening kickoff to the 38-yard line to give the Bulldogs good field position and start the game with an opening drive field goal.

Griffin's electricity forced Auburn to play conservatively on their kickoff the rest of the way as they kicked two pop-ups to Austin Williams and Simeon Price and a squib kick to Griffin late in the fourth quarter. On the squib, Griffin still returned it 15 yards to the 35-yard line and drew a face mask penalty which put the Bulldogs at midfield to start their game-tying field goal drive.