The Auburn Tigers couldn’t take advantage of their only home contest in October, falling behind early and losing to the No. 18 LSU Tigers 38-10 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.
Auburn couldn’t get going offensively, while its opponent scored three straight drives in the second quarter to take a 21-point halftime lead. LSU then poured it on from there, going nearly perfect from the red zone to create the lopsided affair. The Tigers only recorded 271 yards of offense, the lowest all season.
Head coach Alex Golesh saw his group allow 552 yards of offense on the Plains, the most that is allowed over the course of this season. The Tigers also couldn’t make life uncomfortable for opposing quarterback Sam Leavitt, who threw for 386 yards and four total touchdowns. Auburn couldn’t turn the Bayou Bengals over at home either, which was the first time the defense didn’t turn the ball over.
It’s a poor day on that side of the ball for defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s group, who will need to tighten up with more SEC teams awaiting in Auburn’s gauntlet schedule in the conference.
Leavitt was able to find success getting the ball to receiver Jackson Harris, who recorded career-highs in receptions and receiving yards, with nine for 178 yards. Harris had two touchdowns, being a problem Durkin couldn’t solve throughout the afternoon.
The team saw penalties, plenty of sacks and inefficiency on third down being the main issues for Auburn’s offense. Quarterback Byrum Brown was sacked six times by LSU in the loss, never truly seeing open space during the game. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker brought plenty of pressure to the Tigers’ offensive line, making it difficult.
Auburn was 3-for-14 on third down in the loss on Saturday. The Tigers only amassed 67 rushing yards, averaging 1.9 yards per carry.
On offense, Brown was only able to finish with 160 yards and a rushing touchdown, punching in a goal line score after scampering for 34 yards in LSU territory. He wasn’t as apparent with his legs in the loss, and the Tigers collapsed the pocket quickly to slow down Auburn’s rhythm.
The only other touchdown for Auburn came with 24 seconds remaining in the game from the backup group. Second-string quarterback Tristan Ti’a ran in a seven-yard touchdown to put the last chunk of points on the board for the Tigers.
After Auburn’s statement win over No. 1 Georgia last weekend, the Tigers were unable to string two trademark performances together, most likely seeing them out of the SEC Championship, although there were slim chances of that happening going into the game.
Now, Golesh will look to get his group ready for another top challenge, going to Oxford, Mississippi on Halloween to face the Ole Miss Rebels. Kickoff is set for 11:45 central and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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