Cadillac Williams’ hopes of winning his first game as interim head coach at Auburn crashed amid the cacophonous clanging of cowbells at Davis Wade stadium. Mississippi State running back Jo’quavious Marks scored a 5-yard touchdown in overtime to give the Bulldogs a 39-33 win against Auburn.

The Tigers are on a five-game losing streak and the loss against the Bulldogs marks the first time since 2015 Tigers have lost to both Ole Miss and MSU in the same season. Auburn is also 0-4 in SEC West action after the heartbreaking loss.

Mississippi native Jarquez Hunter capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive with 1:02 left, followed by a two-point conversion run by Robby Ashford, nearly giving Cadillac Williams a thrilling comeback 33-30 win against Mississippi State on Saturday in front of a rowdy crowd at Davis Wade Stadium.

Bulldog kicker Massimo Biscardi connected on a 44-yard field goal to tie the game at 33 with less than 30 seconds left. MSU nearly finished the game in regulation. Sean Jackson got hit in his chest with the ball on the ensuing kickoff after the field goal.

Biscardi missed a 55-yard field goal attempt at the end of the fourth quarter. Auburn went three and out on its first overtime possession.

Tank Bigsby’s touchdown run for 41 yards started to silence the cowbell clanging at Davis Wade Stadium. Bigsby’s run on 1st and 10 from the Bulldog 41 with 6:36 left in the game capped Auburn’s 22-point run of unanswered points.

Any chance of Williams becoming the first African-American coach to win a game as Auburn’s head coach seemed bleak after Lideatrick Davis exploded for a 92-yard kickoff return at the 8:12 mark in the second quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 24-3 against the Tigers.

Anders Carlson hit a 27-yard field goal to bring Auburn within 17-3, and at that point, the Bulldogs had scored on three of their first possessions while the Tigers had managed one first down.

Carlson missed a field goal in overtime after Auburn went three and out.

Auburn (3-6, 1-5 SEC) hosts Texas A&M next week at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Let’s get into some observations.

Run game

Auburn wanted to stop the Bulldogs from running the ball while establishing the run themselves. Ashford led the Tigers in rushing with 108 yards and two touchdowns.

Auburn had 256 yards on the ground including Bigsby’s 41 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Mississippi State had 13 rushing yards but passed for 357. Auburn stuck to its run game even when down 24-3 in the second quarter.

Defense

Auburn nearly won the game because of the defense creating turnovers and making big plays on special teams while the offense languished.

Auburn won the turnover battle 3-1. An issue for Auburn is that they only scored three points off those turnovers by the Bulldogs.

Staying alive

Auburn could’ve easily tucked tail and wallowed in self-pity after trailing by three touchdowns. Auburn’s defense fought valiantly and Ashford had a solid second half. Moral victories don’t mean much in the crucible that is the Southeastern Conference. However, seeing Auburn find a way to stay in a game in which they threw for 75 yards is a positive sign.

The trees on Toomers Corner won’t get rolled as the surplus of toilet paper grows in Lee County due to a lack of Auburn wins. However, there is a lot to build on as the Tigers move forward after letting go of Bryan Harsin and elevating Williams.

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.