Lane Kiffin's LSU Tigers will visit the Auburn Tigers one week after they took down the No. 1 team in the country in Georgia.
Head coach Alex Golesh's team defeated the Bulldogs 27-24 at Samford Stadium in Athens following a fumble recovery that set up kicker Alex McPherson for the winning field goal.
Auburn has had mixed results against top 25 teams this season. Prior to their win over Georgia, the Tigers lost to No. 11 Tennessee 24-14 in their Week 8 matchup after trailing the entirety of the game. The team also lost 44-39 against No. 20 Florida in Week 3.
The game will be LSU's third road game of the season. Games away from Tiger Stadium have been a struggle for Kiffin's team, as the Tigers lost 35-34 in overtime at Kentucky and 32-24 at Ole Miss.
Kiffin emphasized the importance of being well-prepared in his weekly press conference on Monday following the Tigers' struggles on the road.
"As you break down your losses and your close losses, they're usually not about how many plays they make," Kiffin said. "It's more of the mistakes you make and more penalties and more false starts and more turnovers than when you play at home."
LSU's coach did not want his team to underestimate Auburn despite Golesh's Tigers being unranked. He emphasized that the addition of an extra conference game to schedules has caused teams that would usually be ranked to be excluded from the top 25, such as Auburn.
"Somehow now, because of adding an extra game, they're not even ranked, and they just beat the No. 1 team in the country," Kiffin said.
Despite the injuries to Whit Weeks, Dashawn Spears, Trey'Dez Green and other leaders for the Tigers, Kiffin's team has stepped up.
TJ Dottery and Davhon Keys have become a key force for LSU at linebacker, combining for 88 total tackles this season. Backed by Dottery and Keys', LSU ranks No. 11 in the country in rush defense. Their ability to shut down the run game will be key against Auburn, which relies on quarterback Byrum Brown's running ability to score.
LSU's own run game will also prove a strength against Auburn. Auburn has struggled to defend fourth down this season, ranking in the bottom 20 in the nation for fourth-down conversion percentage defense. On the other hand, LSU has converted 10 of 12 fourth-down attempts this season.
Although Auburn is riding the wave of beating the number one team in the country, their reliance on the run game and inability to defend against it will be their pitfall
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