The Auburn Tigers are red-hot after their win last week against No. 1 Georgia, but the tests are far from done, as up next for the Tigers is a matchup with Lane Kiffin and the No. 18 LSU Tigers. LSU will certainly be no easy matchup for Auburn’s defense, so their offense will need to step up if they want a chance of taking down Kiffin’s squad.
However, for the most part, Auburn has struggled throughout the season on offense, though things seemed to take a step in the right direction during the Georgia game. That trend will need to continue, and these three players will likely be the difference between success and failure on the Tigers’ offense.
Byrum Brown - Quarterback
A major contributing factor to the Tigers’ improved offense last week was the increase in designed Byrum Brown rush plays, as he attempted to rush the ball 26 times, which was also exactly as many times as he attempted to pass. This sudden increase in Brown’s rushing production seemed to catch Georgia a bit off guard at first, opening up the rest of the Tigers’ offense as the game went on.
Against LSU, that trend of a well-balanced offense will need to continue, as the Tigers desperately need to avoid falling back into the trap of three-and-out, low time-of-possession drives, especially early in games. Brown will also look to increase his turnover-free game streak to two, after finally securing the ball for all 60 minutes last week.
As we saw against the Bulldogs, a strong game from Brown can put the defense completely on its heels, which makes life quite a bit easier for the rest of the group over the course of the game. If he struggles, though, we’ll likely see a repeat of the Tennessee and/or Florida game.
Chas Nimrod - Wide Receiver
Auburn’s leader in receiving touchdowns, Nimrod has consistently proven to be a threat to SEC defenses, and he’s looking to make sure the Bayou Bengals feel it too. After his highlight catch last week against Georgia, which peaked at a far-too-low No. 6 on ESPN’s Top 10, the world seems to be on notice–now, we’ll see what he does with the spotlight.
Nimrod doesn’t lead the Tigers in receptions or reception yards, but, like in the Georgia game, he should still find plenty of openings to create problems for LSU’s defense, especially with WR1 Keshaun Singleton drawing a bulk of the Tigers’ defensive focus throughout the game.
Nimrod isn’t far off team highs in receptions and reception yards, trailing Singleton by just one reception and just over 30 receiving yards. Could this be the game the senior surpasses the junior? Only time will tell.
Jeremiah Cobb - Running Back
Despite all of the preseason hype, Cobb has still yet to turn in a 100-yard performance this season, with his best performance coming against Southern Miss, where he carried the ball 12 times for 85 yards. Cobb also has just two touchdowns this season despite heading an Auburn running back room that boasts some of the better talent in the country, and he’ll look for a breakout game against Kiffin’s Tigers.
A heavier Byrum Brown rushing attack against Georgia came with more opportunities for Cobb in the rushing game, as the senior, who had carried the ball just 21 times in total over the course of three SEC games, carried the ball 13 times for 63 yards against the Bulldogs, good for second place among the Tigers.
So, if the Tigers are able to continue this trend of using Brown to create more variability in the rushing attack, the Tigers’ overall rushing should improve, which would start with Cobb. If the Tigers cannot get their rushing attack going, though, things could get ugly in a hurry.
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