The Auburn Tigers were quite battered heading into last week’s matchup with Arkansas, as the team was down a top wide receiver in Jeremiah Koger, as well as two top secondary options in safety Sylvester Smith-Reed and cornerback Andre Jordan Jr., but headed into their matchup with Mississippi State this week, things seem to be looking better.

The Tigers released their initial availability report on Wednesday night, and though things are, of course, still subject to change, things appear to be looking up for the Tigers.

Jeremiah Koger, a top Byrum Brown target who missed last week’s contest, has been upgraded to active ahead of the Tigers’ matchup with the Bulldogs, so Brown will have yet another dangerous weapon to supplement a passing offense once dominated by Chas Nimrod and Keshaun Singleton. 

Additionally, cornerback Andre Jordan, Jr. and safety Sylvester Smith–Reed are also fully active after missing last week’s matchup, a quick turnaround that should hopefully give the Tigers some answers to a strong Mississippi State passing offense. 

As for the linebackers, Bryce Deas is still out–that’s not going to change this season, as Alex Golesh told the media he had undergone season-ending surgery–but Elijah Melendez, who was banged up against the Razorbacks with an apparent ankle injury, is fully clear for this week, and De’Marcus Riddick, who had to take a trip to the locker room midway through last week’s game, is questionable with hopes to return.

Finally, Tai Buster, an offensive lineman who has been inactive since season’s start, is finally off the injury report ahead of the Tigers’ trip to Starkville. The Tigers have been flexible with their offensive line setup this season, and Buster may find himself with some reps, though it’s more probable that Golesh gets him loose next week against Samford.

The Bulldogs may have the advantage of playing in Starkville this weekend, but their injury report, a result of a grueling SEC schedule, does not seem to inspire a ton of confidence in their lineup. In total, six different Bulldogs will not play against the Tigers this weekend, including star quarterback Kamario Taylor, while two notable defensive pieces are listed as probable to participate.

Those two, edge rusher Amaree Williams and linebacker Tyler Lockhart, rank among the top-five Bulldogs in terms of total tackles, and if they end up unavailable or are playing through injury, the Tigers’ job on offense should get quite a bit easier.

The now mostly-healthy Tigers will take on the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss., on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CT. That game will be broadcast on ESPN2.