STARKVILLE, Miss. – Two plays, two reviews, two calls upheld in Mississippi State's favor. A 14-point swing in a 14-point game. The age old saying that football is a game of inches was never more plain, or painful, for the Auburn Tigers.
At the end of the first half, Auburn safeties Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas converged at the goal-line to stop Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald on fourth-and-goal.
While the Tigers celebrated what they thought was a goal-line stand, an official signaled for a touchdown, giving State a 13-3 lead.
"I feel like we did, but they called the call, so we've just got to take it and run with it," Thomas said. "We can't take it back. They called it, so we've just got to continue to play."
"I knew they were going to do the QB draw," said Dinson, who led Auburn with a career-high 15 tackles. "I looked at the replay and thought the ball didn't cross the plane, but the refs thought otherwise. We can't go back and fix it now. It is what it is."
Late in the third quarter, JaTarvious Whtlow raced 41 yards on third-and-1 at MSU's 42. As Whitlow reached for the goal-line, State knocked the ball loose, recovering in the back of the end zone.
Instead of a touchdown and a 3-point deficit, State got a touchback, preserving its 10-point lead. Auburn hoped for a replay reversal, but again, the ruling stood.
"In a game like this, when you have opportunities, you've got to seize the moment," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said.
Auburn's leading rusher, Whitlow gained 88 yards on eight carries.
"He fought hard and he competed," Malzahn said. "He's still a young guy. He's still learning. I think he's got a chance to be a good running back in this league."
STIDHAM TO DAVIS
Jarrett Stidham and Ryan Davis teamed up eight times for 91 yards, including a 42-yarder on Auburn's first offensive play of the second half, the Tigers' longest gain of the night.
"A tough loss," Stidham said. "This is not the position we want to be in. People's character is going to come out whenever you're under adversity. Top to bottom, a lot of character is going to show right now. That's where I've got to step up as a leader, and not let this loss affect us. We've got to get back tomorrow and get back to work."
With 113 completions, Stidham and Davis need 27 more to tie Auburn's most prolific passing pair, Pat Sullivan and Terry Beasley (1969-71).
Davis ranks No. 4 all-time among Auburn's receiving leaders with 137 career catches.
LOOKNG AHEAD
Auburn returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday for an 11 a.m. kick against Tennessee on SEC Network.
"Just got to continue to stay together," said Thomas, who made eight tackles and returned a blocked field goal 32 yards. "Keep doing what we're doing, because we've got a chance to do something special. We've got to continue to bond and stay unified."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer