LSU started the season with a bad loss to what appeared to be a much better, very scary Mississippi State. Since then, the pirate-led Bulldogs have looked pretty awful, making LSU’s loss to them look worse.
The next few weeks, the Purple Tigers did what they should to Vanderbilt, but then they lost to Missouri, being stood up at the goal-line on four straight plays. The game wasn’t as close as the score.
Last week, they started a freshman quarterback in a night game in Baton Rouge, against a South Carolina team that was probably a little too high after their win over Auburn. That win only happened because of three errant passes/tipped balls. And only because of those three errant passes/tipped balls.
LSU scored lots. South Carolina scored not as much. It is the only good game LSU has played all season, and we’re talking about South Carolina here. Yes, those Gamecocks beat Auburn a week prior, but it was only because of those three errant passes/tipped balls.
The corndogs will bring a freshman quarterback into his first road start against a defense that is the only in the SEC to not give up more than 30 points in a game this season. It hasn’t been pretty, but it’s been consistently… enough. Consistently enough when almost all of the starters are playing. Well, almost all of the starters are playing this weekend.
For some dumb reason, people thought LSU would be good this year. They were humbled hard in the first week of the season. But now because LSU looked semi-competent in a night game in Baton Rouge against South Carolina, people are starting to try and talk them up again. All of a sudden, the offense is great and the defense is getting better. All of a sudden, Auburn better watch out.
Let’s be honest, almost all of the sentiment about Auburn not being able to knock off a team that has looked half-mediocre at best this season is due to two very legal and logical outcomes to plays where whistles were blown maybe too early. The highlight watchers and the upset lovers wanted Arkansas and Ole Miss to win so badly and knock off one of the top programs. Sorry. They didn’t. And they didn’t do so completely legally and most importantly completely logically.
The Auburn offense has found the importance of the running game. They have found how to use Tank. They have found how to use Bo. The last two weekends, regardless of the outcome of the game, Auburn has moved the ball with almost ease for most of the two games. LSU has the bad defense for that to continue.
Auburn’s defense, again, has done just enough. You can’t fault them for giving up points to South Carolina on multiple short fields. You can’t really fault them for giving up only 27 points to Georgia without three starters for most of the game.
The home field, the solidified offense, and the enough defense will be enough to beat an LSU team that will play out of their minds today. It will happen. There may not be a fire. There may not be an errant whistle. But LSU will play their best game. But it won’t be enough. Auburn deserves one in this series. They’ll get one today.
Auburn 28, LSU 20
