Jackson’s 169 Yards Help, but Auburn Has Its Hands Full, 21-9

Once again Bo Jackson provided the offensive punch for No. 6 Auburn, but it took a strong defense and the booming punts of Louis Colbert for the Tigers to hold off Mississippi State, 21-9, Saturday.

“It wasn’t a pretty win,” said Jackson, who rushed for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 22-yard run that put the Tigers ahead after they trailed 6-0.

Jackson came into the game averaging 205.5 yards per game rushing. His 169 yards came in 28 carries.

Said Auburn Coach Pat Dye: “It’s been frustrating. We weren’t able to hammer out anything today. This is a good football team that has now become ordinary. I’d hate to think where we would be without our defense.”

Jackson, on his 22-yard scoring run, set a new single-season rushing record at Auburn, breaking the mark of 1,315 set by James Brooks in 1980; the 22 yards put Jackson at 1,320. His season rushing total stands at 1,402, an average of about 200 yards per game.

Mississippi State quarterback Don Smith moved his team in bursts but could not sustain a drive, with State settling for Artie Cosby field goals of 37, 27 and 37 yards.

Smith, who came into the game leading the SEC in total offense with an average of 274.7 yards per game, was often under heavy pressure by Auburn’s defense and got only 8 yards rushing and 177 passing, hitting 14 of 28 pass attempts.

But Mississippi State’s defense also slowed down Auburn’s rush, holding the Tigers to 243 yards on the ground--146 yards below their NCAA per-game average that led the nation--and only 65 yards passing.

The win lifted Auburn to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference, while the Bulldogs fell to 5-3 and 0-3.