Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown does his best work in the second halves of games. That's how the Tigers upset Georgia in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry game, and it's how Auburn handled Arkansas this past Saturday.
Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has told his team to focus on multiple halves and have a team-wide effort in trying to stop Brown this Saturday in Starkville when the two teams face off.
"Yeah, it's got to be multiple halves. You see this guy run through trash non-stop, and their entire team, the entire offense runs through him. I mean, an incredibly physical runner that has ran the football really, really well. And so for us it's about getting 11 hats to the ball, being able to go get shots on the ball and tackle really, really well in space," Lebby said this week.
Lebby is the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, with Zach Arnett serving as the defensive coordinator. It's not Lebby's job to manage the defense or call the plays on that end to stop Brown, but it's his job to motivate and deliver a winning message.
Stopping Brown in the running game is the key to this game. The numbers certainly back that up this season.
Ole Miss, LSU give Mississippi State the Byrum Brown blueprint
Look at Brown's worst games on the ground: LSU and Ole Miss. Both of those games were embarrassing losses on consecutive weekends.
Against LSU, Brown was suffocated in the pocket. Jordan Ross led the way for the Bayou Bengals with two sacks, but the LSU defense had six total sacks on Brown. Not only was he getting nowhere past the line of scrimmage, but he couldn't devastate in the passing game on the move either. Brown had 20 rushing yards, which was mainly buoyed by a 34-yard run in the second quarter that set up a touchdown.
Ole Miss was even more effective. Brown's longest run was 10 yards, and for the game, he had just five rushing yards. The Rebels didn't even get to Brown as much as LSU, sacking him four times. Still, Ole Miss kept Brown and the offense in check.
Brown has since bounced back, but the blueprint is clear.
Lebby isn't afraid to let the world know what his team must do to stop Brown, since we all knew that's what Mississippi State had to do.
Auburn and Mississippi State kick off at 11 am C.T. this Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
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