AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Ryan Smith stopped Chris Relf at the goal line on the final play to preserve Auburn's 41-34 win over No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday.
Relf kept the ball on an option and headed for the end zone before Smith went low and brought the 240-pound quarterback down for the Tigers (2-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), who had gone from defending national champions to unranked underdog after needing a furious rally to beat Utah State.
This time they held on against the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1), who nearly pulled off a similar comeback to force overtime.
They marched 66-plus yards in the final 2:52 with only one pass. Before the game's last play, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen raced to an official, signaling timeout, and managed to get three seconds put back on the clock.
All 10 remaining ticked off when Relf came up short.
Daren Bates, Jake Holland and Neiko Thorpe had led a swarm of defenders to stop Vick Ballard for a short loss on the previous play.
Mike Dyer rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, who extended major college football's longest win streak to 17 games. This one will do more to convince poll voters that they can still be competitive in the SEC despite the loss of Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and a host of other starters.
Dyer led the players' sprint toward the student section to celebrate while the final play was under review - and quickly upheld.
The Auburn defense was on the field for 97 plays and gave up 531 yards and 31 first downs before coming through when it appeared Mississippi State would at least send the game to overtime.
Relf, Ballard and Mississippi State put a pounding on them until the end.
Ballard ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 4:51 left to keep Mississippi State alive. Ballard set it up with runs of 19, 13 and 6 yards.
The Bulldogs then held Auburn to three and out and got the ball back with nearly 3 minutes remaining.
Relf passed for 195 yards and a touchdown and ran 27 times for 106 yards. Ballard ran 21 times for 106 yards to help Mississippi State play keepaway.
Barrett Trotter was 16-of-23 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers. Emory Blake accounted for most of the passing yards with 108 yards on seven catches, including a 46-yard touchdown.
Both quarterbacks had interceptions returned for touchdowns, but the offenses supplied most of the big plays.
Trotter rolled right and hit tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen for a 10-yard touchdown a minute into the fourth quarter for a 41-27 lead. Dyer, who also had a 52-yard run on the drive, had taken a direct snap and converted a fourth-and-1 by a couple of inches to keep it going.
The Bulldogs converted a fourth down play in their own territory on their next possession but couldn't reach midfield. That wasn't a problem the final two drives, or many others.
The Tigers took a 31-24 lead into halftime in a series that include a 3-2 Auburn win just three years ago before both programs turned to new offenses and started putting up big numbers.
The Tigers finished with two quick touchdowns to survive Utah State and opened with two more for a 28-point run-up in a 5:28 span.