LSU took over Jordan-Hare Stadium for Saturday's SEC Tiger Bowl matchup against Auburn, with a 38 -17 win over the SEC opponent.
This win didn't just end this season's road win drought, but also ended a road win drought that the program had held since October 2024.
The Auburn matchup showcased a dominant LSU team, being able to shut down the same team that beat the No.1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs last week.
The Good
There's a lot of good to point out from the Tigers' performance over Auburn, as both sides of the ball continued to dominate all four quarters to secure the Week 8 win.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt finally had his full offense back, with tight end Trey'Dez Green returning from an injury this week, and he used his options to his full advantage. He had a season-high of 387 passing yards across 32 attempts, with three touchdowns, no sacks, and once again, no interceptions.
The offense was a nonstop force in driving the ball downfield, with quick possessions, sneaky play calls, and everyone on the unit doing their own part to see success.
The Tigers' defense quickly became Auburn's worst nightmare, holding them to two touchdowns over the game; one scored in the middle of the first quarter, and the second one in the last 30 seconds of the game.
The defense made crucial stops against Auburn, being able to put much-needed pressure on the pocket and get in front of receivers to limit Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown. The defense had seven sacks for 48 sack yards and 55 tackles, with 62 yards for loss.
Both sides of the ball were a major part of securing the win and limiting the opponent, which is the right balance that LSU can take into the bye week before a grueling SEC gauntlet ahead.
The Bad
While he had an impressive statistical game, one problem remained for the offensive leader: Leavitt's scrambles.
As he recorded a season-high in passing yards against Auburn, he also recorded the most rushing yards of the season with 54, with a good bit coming from scrambling around the backfield and down the middle of the field.
That was a problem that the quarterback faced ahead of Texas A&M in Week 4, as Leavitt had developed the habit of escaping the pocket and not letting key plays form when pressure was in front of him.
That's not the only reason why a quarterback shouldn't limit the habit of scrambling; it also puts him at a major risk of getting injured. As the quarterback suffered a minor hamstring injury a couple of weeks ago, he was limited in the pocket, not having the option to scramble.
There should be a good balance of the two, allowing offensive schemes to play out in the pocket, while also being able to be that mobile quarterback when needed - not whenever.
The Ugly
There wasn't a lot of ugliness to report from this week's game; LSU performed like a well-oiled machine all around.
One thing the team consistently relied on during the game came on fourth downs, which the Tigers went 3-for-4 on, but the constant play on fourth downs came from failing to convert on over 60% of third-down opportunities.
LSU went 5-for-13 on 3rd downs, which can create a routine that constantly puts the Tigers in risky situations that can make or break the ball game.
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