Saturday’s winner enters Halloween weekend with a chance to do some great things.
LSU gets that week off. Auburn travels to Ole Miss, which could be a top five team or a team playing for its life. Both squads enter Saturday morning’s tilt on the Plains with first year coaches trying to elevate new teams to new heights.
LSU’s expectations were higher than Auburn’s, but a win over Georgia in Athens and a home win over LSU would flip Auburn’s world upside down.
Lane Kiffin’s team has been more consistent than Alex Golesh’s, but the Jordan-Hare crowd will be a factor. As has often been the case over the last 40 years, plenty is on the line between LSU and Auburn.
It’s good to see these two teams back on opposite sidelines after a couple of years off the schedule.
BYRUM BROWN VS. LSU’S FRONT
I can’t stress this matchup enough. As obvious as it is, it cannot go unwritten here.
Byrum Brown has had one of the most productive careers in recent college football history. That’s not hyperbole.
In 2023, he and Jayden Daniels were the only quarterbacks in college football to throw for 3,000 and run for 800. He set South Florida records for passing yards in a season, passing touchdowns in a season and quarterback runs a season.
He’s second all-time in touchdowns accounted for in Bulls history.
Last week, Golesh and Brown decided to do things differently, and the 6-foot-3, 235-pound quarterback ran the ball 26 times at Georgia. That’s not completely unprecedented, although it was a career high.
Brown ran 23 times in both games against Alabama while at USF. He totaled 200 yards rushing in those two games. Last week in Athens, he amassed 115 yards and scored. Eight of his runs went for first downs.
Brown has not topped 160 passing yards in any of the last three games. He’s more of a physical runner than a surgeon from the pocket. He’s ninth in the SEC in completion percentage and has thrown the second most interceptions beginning with a three turnover day against Baylor.
TJ Dottery, Davhon Keys and the Tigers front didn’t let Marcel Reed get loose for the Aggies. He ran for -13 yards with a long run of 12 on 10 carries.
Trinidad Chambliss did run for the game winner, but he finished with 363 yards passing and just two yards rushing.
The Tigers have contained running quarterbacks this year, but Brown’s physicality presents an entirely different challenge.
AUBURN’S OFFENSIVE LINE VS. LSU’S DEFENSIVE LINE
Auburn desperately wants to run the football. Last week the Tigers did to the tune of 192 yards on 46 carries. That’s the most Georgia has given up since the regular season finale in 2024 against Georgia Tech.
The Auburn offensive line is made up of four transfers and a true freshman, Wilson Zierer at left guard. The Tigers are fifth in the SEC in rushing attempts per game and seventh in yards per carry.
Jeremiah Cobb is the starting running back. He went for 969 yards last year but has taken a back seat to Brown this year. He’s got 58 carries to Brown’s 107.
The LSU defensive front leads the SEC in rushing defense at 88 yards per game and two yards per carry. However, Mississippi State did run for 170 yards this week. Kentucky ran for 155 with a big help from the 78-yarder to open the game.
Is this an elite LSU run defense? Or is it a product of anemic Texas A&M (63rd) and Clemson (73rd) running games? It probably decides the game.
AUBURN’S RUSHERS VS. LSU’S OL
Da’Shawn Womack is on SEC roster No. 3 this year after two years at LSU and one at Ole Miss. He and Jared Smith have combined for 2.5 sacks. Auburn, as a defense, is seventh in the SEC in sacks.
Cody Sigler may be a bigger problem on the defensive line interior. He’s got 12 pressures on the year, and LSU has struggled at the guard spots.
If Sam Leavitt is kept clean, he should feast on the Auburn secondary. LSU’s passing game has found a beautiful rhythm in the last month. Leavitt is 91-for-188 (77%) over the last four games.
Auburn’s cornerback play has been poor. Rayshawn Pleasant is the top corner, and his PFF coverage grade is 62.2. He’s got one pass broken up and had been flagged for three penalties.
On the other side, Champ Anthony has allowed a 76% completion rate and was benched late last week. Georgia threw for 327 yards against Auburn.
That’s why Auburn needs pressure. It’s a break for LSU that Xavier Atkins is no longer with the team. He’s a second level pass rusher.
The Tiger offensive line probably holds the fate of the team in its hands at this point. If it plays well, LSU will be a handful. If not, the Tigers can lose any and all of the next four games.
