Starkville, MS -- (Sports Network) - Wes Byrum provided all the offense with a 35-yard field goal and the ninth-ranked Auburn Tigers escaped with a 3-2 win over the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, in the SEC opener for both schools.

Byrum wound up just 1-of-3 on field goals, missing from 22 and 42 yards while the Bulldogs' Adam Carlson also missed a crucial field goal from 38 yards in a defensive struggle.

Auburn's Chris Todd finished 14-of-26 for 154 yards but lost two fumbles in just his second start under center for the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 SEC). Brad Lester ran for 51 yards on nine attempts but was taken from the field on a stretcher in the third quarter with a sprained neck. Ben Tate took over in the backfield and gained 92 yards on 20 carries. Montez Billings hauled in three passes for 68 yards in the win.

Mississippi State's Wesley Carroll hit on just 10-of-25 pass attempts for 78 yards and an interception for the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-1). Christian Ducre gained 49 yards on 16 carries while Co-Eric Riley caught three passes for 26 yards.

The game shaped into a defensive dogfight throughout with Auburn eventually taking the first bite. After the Tigers moved the ball past midfield for the first time to open the second quarter, they took their next possession 39 yards to the Bulldog 18 and Byrum kicked a 35-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead with 7:38 left on the first half clock.

The struggle for field position continued with Auburn able to scratch its way to the Bulldog 25 with 19 seconds to go in the first half but Byrum was wide left on a 42-yarder and the score remained at 3-0 heading into the second half.

Todd fumbled on Auburn's first play from scrimmage in the second half, giving MSU the ball on the Tiger 32. Carroll, however, was sacked for a seven-yard loss on 1st-and-10. The Bulldogs gained just five of those yards back before Carlson came up short on a 38-yard field goal and the score remained 3-0.

On the following MSU possession, coach Sylvester Croom went for it on 4th- and-1 from the Auburn 37 but Carroll's pass fell incomplete and the Tigers marched 58 yards down to the Bulldog seven-yard line. The drive was halted as the MSU defense held on a 1st-and-goal stand, stuffing Tate three times forcing a field goal attempt from the five. Byrum, however, shanked the 22- yarder to the left after lining up on the left hash mark and Auburn wasted another opportunity for points with 5:36 to go in the third quarter.

The game-long trend of trading punts continued to start the final stanza before a punt pinned Auburn at its own three-yard line and a holding call in the end zone on a 3rd-and-9 resulted in a safety for the Bulldogs, resulting in a 3-2 score with just over seven minutes to go in the game.

Mississippi State was stopped on a 4th-and-1 at the Auburn 41 on its next possession and the Tigers seemed to be in control with 5:39 left in the game. Tate, however, coughed up the ball and the Bulldogs took over on the Auburn 47. A decision was made to attempt another fourth down conversion, this time on 4th-and-15 and Carroll's pass fell incomplete with 3:40 to go.

Auburn, however, continued to give the Bulldogs every chance to steal the win and Todd fumbled it away three plays later to give MSU the ball on its own 34 with 2 1/2 minutes to go. Carroll went deep down the right sideline on the first play and Walter McFadden made an extraordinary one-handed interception to put Auburn back in the drivers seat.

The Bulldogs made one last stand, using their two remaining timeouts and forcing a 3rd-and-8 with just over two minutes remaining but Tate sealed the win with a 39-yard run into MSU territory and Auburn was able to run out the clock from there.

Game Notes

Although Auburn owns a commanding 57-23-2 lead in the all-time series with Mississippi State, the Bulldogs recorded a thrilling 19-14 road victory over the Tigers last season. That win by MSU came in the SEC opener, snapping a streak of 14 straight wins in league openers for the Tigers...The Tigers jump headlong into the teeth of their SEC schedule with LSU and Tennessee on the schedule the next two weeks...The Bulldogs hit the road with dates against Georgia Tech and then LSU...Despite the offensive woes for both teams, Auburn collected 353 yards of offense while MSU totaled 144...The Bulldogs managed just six first downs...The Tigers survived despite losing the turnover battle 3-1.