Toomer’s trees get the weekend off.
No. 18 LSU hammered Auburn, 38-17, on Saturday at Jordan Hare Stadium. The outcome wasn’t in doubt after halftime. The 21-point win LSU’s largest margin of victory ever in Auburn.
LSU’s offensive onslaught overwhelmed the Auburn defense in the first 30 minutes. The visiting Tigers rolled up 346 yards of offense and 31 points before the half and salted the game away in the second half to move to 6-2 overall, and 3-2 in Southeastern Conference, entering the bye week.
The beating was thorough. It came in every phase.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt set a career high with 387 passing yards and piloted five touchdown drives, four in the first half. Jackson Harris, who has emerged as a true No. 1 option for the LSU offense, had nine catches for 178 yards and a pair of scores.
None of the Tiger scoring drives lasted five minutes. They came fast and furious.
Defensively, LSU produced three three-and-outs and seven drives of four plays or less. A week after Alex Golesh’s team netted 366 yards and 24 points at Georgia, the purple and gold had other plans.
Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown got loose for one 34-yard run that set up an early touchdown that made it 17-10, LSU. Outside of that, LSU bottled up the dynamic quarterback all day. He finished with just 21 rushing yards on 19 carries thanks to six sacks.
LSU scored the next 21 points to put the game in a hammer lock.
The Tigers are battered and bruised and in need of the open date, but they’ve reached it with every goal in front of them. A brutal November slate awaits, but Lane Kiffin’s team is playing good football.
Saturday it was way too good for Auburn.
THE STATS
LSU outgained Auburn 552-271
First Downs: 29-16 LSU
Sam Leavitt: 32-for-46 (70%), 387 yards, 3 TD, 8 carries, 54 yards, TD
Byrum Brown: 15-for-24 (63%), 160 yards, 19 carries, 21 yards, TD
LSU had seven sacks.
LSU has 12 tackles for loss. Auburn had 4.
Dilin Jones: 21 carries, 92 yards, TD, 4 catches, 27 yards.
The game was turnover free.
THE PLAYS
LSU used good field position to take a 3-0 lead. A seven play drive bogged down in the red zone and produced a 30-yard Scott Starzyk field goal.
Auburn responded with a long drive extended by a pair of third and long conversions. Alex McPherson hit a 23-yard field goal to knot things.
LSU took another lead on a great throw by Leavitt to Harris at the goal line. Leavitt was hit as he threw and put it on the money for a 1-yard score. LSU, 10-3.
A Leavitt interception was overturned by replay, which originated from SEC headquarters in Birmingham, and LSU paid it off by finishing the drive with a Leavitt to Trey’Dez Green touchdown from 15 yards out for a 17-3 lead.
LSU lost Brown on a third and long. He took off for 34 yards to the one and bowled into the end zone on the next snap. LSU, 17-10, LSU.
Harris’s 70-yard catch and run silenced the Auburn crowd. LSU, 24-10, with 4:29 before halftime.
LSU’s defense got a quick stop, and the Tiger offense kept rolling. LSU went 74 yards on 10 plays in 3:04. Leavitt carried in for the score with 17 ticks remaining before halftime. LSU, 31-10 at the break.
Dilin Jones rumbled 12 yards through Auburn tacklers for another touchdown which sent the Auburn fans to the exits with 13:56 to play. LSU, 38-10.
Auburn put window dressing on it with a seven-yard touchdown run by Tristan Ti’a. FINAL: LSU, 38-17.
