Campus Clash
(11) LSU Tigers at (7) Auburn Tigers
LSU: I was beyond impressed with them after their dominating win against the Miami Hurricanes in week one and it really opened my eyes. I felt that game was a test for them and they definitely passed it. You often hear about three teams in the SEC as expected and that’s Alabama, Georgia and Auburn. If they can remain consistent, I’d have to include LSU into that conversation as well. The one thing I’ve taken away is how they are really taking after their head coach in Ed Orgeron and toward the end of Les Miles’ tenure in Baton Rouge, it seemed as if guys simply didn’t want to play for him anymore. For years, LSU has had questions at quarterback and it’s been somewhat of a rotating door with all the guys they’ve started over the years, but now, I think Ed has a keeper under center in Joe Burrow and he’s everything they’ve needed. He has command and control of his offense, he can make all the throws and he’s a tough kid that can move his feet, scramble to get extra yards and he’ll take the hit. His coach the other day said he needs to learn how to slide to avoid taking big hits and Joe tells the media that he isn’t a slider. This will be another true test for the LSU Tigers as they travel to Auburn, Alabama for some Saturday afternoon SEC football.
Auburn: When you watch their first game against the Washington Huskies, you immediately took away just how much their offense struggled against that Huskies defense scoring only 21 points and I know they are more than capable of scoring over 30 in each game, that’s the skill-set they have as a team. They have such a deep core of receivers, they can run the ball (which I thought they’d struggle to do without Kerryon Johnson) and at the end of the day, it all starts with the quarterback and they have a good one in Jarrett Stidham and he’s as good as advertised. This kid isn’t just a passer, he’s mobile and will move around to get free and make the best possible play for his football team. When you look back at the stats of their last game against Alabama State, the offense showed up and how they did was astounding. They netted 429 yards rushing with Whitlow and Shaun Shivers each rushing over 100 and it seems like Jarrett didn’t even have to break a sweat because he threw only 11 passes in the win. They cruised through Alabama State and that was the tune-up for the test they’ll be facing against LSU.
LSU Player To Watch: Nick Brossette– The one thing I can say that LSU always seems to have are solid running backs from Fournette, to Derrius Guice and now, you enter this guy into the fold. He’s a guy that can burst through the lane and use his speed in the open field to turn it up and possibly take it to the house.
Auburn Player To Watch: Deshaun Davis– The quarterback of the Auburn defense. With Roquan Smith now in the NFL, this may be the best linebacker in the entire SEC. He always wants to make a play on the football and he definitely has the speed to play sideline to sideline.
Final Analysis: This was a close battle last year with LSU taking this showdown in Baton Rouge. This time, the home-field advantage belongs to the Auburn Tigers. Jarrett Stidham can’t throw the ball 11 times each game and expect to win because the cards won’t always fall in your favor each game. He better be ready to make some throws against a solid LSU defense. This is the first true road game for Burrow and that Auburn defense will be coming after him early and often.
Prediction: Auburn 29 LSU 17
