It seems as though the Tigers have a special affinity for winning close games against the Bulldogs. In more recent years that’s been the case in 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
There are more Auburn thorns from the more distant past. For example, the 1940 MSU team was undefeated, but a 7-7 tie to an inferior Auburn team cost MSU a perfect season, an SEC championship, a bid to the Rose Bowl, and possibly a national championship. Instead the Bulldogs settled for a 10-0-1 #9 finish and a 14-7 win over Georgetown in the 1941 Orange Bowl.