Eye of The Tiger: LSU Controls Auburn from Start to Finish in 48-18 Impressive Victory

Posted on by Jace LeJeune

From the opening possession to the final whistle, the LSU Tigers were in control the entire way in a 48-18 decisive victory over the Auburn Tigers, which ended up being the second biggest win by LSU ever in this usually close series only behind their 45-10 win over Auburn back in 2011. The LSU Tigers started with the ball first and it only took four plays for their explosive offense to establish their mark in this game.

Offensively, LSU continued its hot streak that started since the Grambling game as the efficient and balanced attack put up 563 total yards of offense including 325 through the air and 238 on the ground. This was an LSU record performance as they became the first Tigers offense to total over 500 yards in six straight games. Jayden Daniels added to his Heisman resume by completing 20 of 27 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns to one interception while also adding 93 yards rushing on the ground.

Brian Thomas Jr. had a quiet night with only two catches for seven yards, but fortunately for LSU’s high flying passing attack, Malik Nabers had another consistent outing with six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, but the biggest winner in the wide receiver room tonight was Kyren Lacy, who had his best game as an LSU Tiger and proved to be the number two option tonight. After having an early drop in the first half, Lacy bounced back and then some with four grabs for 111 yards and a touchdown.

The running game was great again for LSU as besides Daniels’ legs, Logan Diggs continues to pace the ground attack with 97 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. John Emery Jr. showed a lot of flashes tonight with 42 yards rushing and a touchdown plus a 49-yard reception in the first quarter. Add in Josh Williams’ two touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 receiving) and Kaleb Jackson’s 60-yard kickoff return, the four running backs showed what makes each of them so unique.

The Tigers scored on its first four drives to go up 20-7 and in the second half, scored touchdowns on all four drives to complete an impressive outing against a good Auburn defense that came into the game among the best in the league statistically.

“Tonight, we played really well. We got off to a hot start. That is a good football team that we beat tonight, and we beat them in a manner that does not happen quite often. I am proud of our guys, and I thought they had a great mindset. I thought they were more physical tonight. We were the more physical team.”

“The offense is averaging over the last five teams they played, incredible offensive production. Throwing it, catching it, running it, the offensive line; it is pretty impressive stuff. There is not much else to say but a 48-18 win against a pretty solid Auburn football team, a well-coached team, I am pretty excited about it.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly on the win

Speaking of physicality, the LSU defense had its most suffocating performance since the Mississippi State game. Despite giving up two Auburn touchdown drives for a combined 159 total yards, the LSU defense also forced four three and outs, six punts, a turnover on downs, and only 112 yards on Auburn’s nine other possessions.

“I think I alluded to it to you guys earlier. We felt like this offense was one that needed some help. We did not mean that within its own ranks, but we meant that the defense needed to play better. We really looked at structure and getting the right guys in the right place and then playing a much more disciplined and aggressive style of defense. I think we are getting to that level of complimentary football.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly on playing complimentary football

The two-quarterback system struggled to get any consistency for Auburn as Payton Thorne completed 12 of 23 passes for 102 yards while Robby Ashford completed three of four passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Zy Alexander was thrown at all night and handled himself well with nine total tackles and two pass breakups. Harold Perkins Jr. showed why he was so highly regarded heading into the season and flashed in the second half with five tackles, a sack, two TFLs, a PBU, and a quarterback hurry.

“I thought our corners, in particular Zy Alexander, were tested early on. We challenged him to really play the ball in the air, and I thought he did a great job. That is what Auburn wanted to do early. They wanted to throw fades and he took that away from them, and I give our defense a lot of credit. They have been under scrutiny and to see that kind of development over the last couple of weeks has been fun.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly on the defensive play tonight

As a whole, the defensive line had one of their better group performances. Paris Shand was active with six tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and even a pass breakup while Mekhi Wingo notched himself a sack tonight.

Not only did LSU put together a total team performance on both sides of the football, but special teams also had one of its better games as well with Damian Ramos converting on both of his field goal attempts and Jackson having a 60-yard kickoff return.

“I thought we did some really good things on special teams. Obviously, the big kickoff return was key for us, Damiam Ramos continues to be a strong part of our game, and I know Jay Bramblett does not punt for us a lot, but when he does, he pins good returners to the sidelines. Those are all things that maybe get glossed over, but those little things really make a difference in field position.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly on special teams play

Finally, throw in an efficient and fast start on both sides of the football that jumpstarted a 17-0 LSU lead and it was the kind of performance that head coach Brian Kelly is excited about when it comes to the potential of the team still having a major impact on the SEC West Title race.

“We have Army, who is going to be a big tough physical football team. This team controls their own destiny at this point. We need to continue to improve on the defensive side of the ball and continue the consistency, obviously, from an offensive standpoint. I would put this team up against anyone in the league right now. We just need to continue to grow and continue to get better from a defensive perspective in terms of all 11 players knowing their assignments, playing disciplined football and being much more aggressive to the ball when it is in the air. I think that if we do that, this is a team that can compete for a national championship.”

LSU HC Brian Kelly’s confidence moving forward

#22 LSU improves its record to 5-2 (4-1) while Auburn falls to 3-3 (0-3).

Next up, LSU will be back at home where they will face the Army Knights for a 6:30 kickoff.

First Quarter:

2nd Quarter:

3rd Quarter:

4th Quarter:

Final Stats:

Offensive Cumulative Stats

STATAuburnLSU
NET TOTAL YARDS293563
NET RUSHING YARDS139238
Rushing Attempts3439
Average Per Rush4.16.1
Rushing TDs13
Yards Gained161243
Yards Lost225
NET PASSING YARDS154325
Completion-Attempts15-2720-27
Completion Percentage56%74%
Avg Per Completion10.316.3
Passing TDs13
TOTAL 1ST DOWNS1825
Rushing 1st Downs812
Passing 1st Downs713
Penalty 1st Downs30
TOTAL PLAYS6166
Avg Yds/Play4.88.5
Rushing-Passing34-2739-27

Offense Efficiency Comparison:

STATAuburnLSU
RED ZONE ATTEMPTS3-36-6
Red Zone Points1834
RZ TDs Rush-Pass1-13-1
RZ FG Made-Att1-12-2
RZ Turns00
3rd Downs3-126-9
4th Downs1-20-0
Penalties5-4212-100
Fumbles-Lost1-00-0
Pts Off Turns00
POSSESSION TIME25:4734:13

Special Teams Comparison:

STATAuburnLSU
Punts-Avg6-45.51-44.0
Inside2010
Field Goals1-12-2
Kick Returns4-931-60
Punt Returns0-00-0

Defensive Comparison:

STATAuburnLSU
TACKLES7671
Solo Tackles2431
Tackles for Loss25
TFL Yards-4-13
Pass Breakups35
QB Hurries22
Sacks22
Sacks Yards-4-9
Takeaways FR-INT0-10-0
Forced Fumbles00
Fumble Recoveries00
FR Yards00
Interceptions10
INT Yards30
TDs INT-FR0-00-0

Auburn Passing:

#PLAYERC-AYDSTDIC%RTG
1THORNE,PAYTON12-23102005289.4
9ASHFORD,ROBBY3-4521075266.7
PASS TOTALS15-271541056

Auburn Receiving:

#PLAYERNOYDSTDLNGAVGTGTC%
87FRAZIER,BRANDON35213917.3475
5FAIR,JAY33603212475
27HUNTER,JARQUEZ37042.33100
4BROWN,CAMDEN22701513.52100
10BURTON,CALEB211075.52100
16JOHNSON JR.,MALCOLM113013131100
13FAIRWEATHER,RIVALDO18088425
7 RECEIVERS1515413910.32854

Auburn Rushing:

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG
23COBB,JEREMIAH10690136.9
1THORNE,PAYTON5270165.4
21BATTIE,BRIAN620073.3
9ASHFORD,ROBBY5190103.8
27HUNTER,JARQUEZ716162.3
5 RUSHERS341391164.1

Auburn Punting:

PunterNOYDSAVGLNGI2050+
CHAPMAN,OSCAR627345.55812

Auburn Field Goals:

KickerTimeDistResult
McPherson,Alex3rd-11:3538GOOD
TOTAL1-1LONG OF 38

Auburn All Purpose Yards:

PlayerTotRushRecKORPRIR-FRTDs
BATTIE,BRIAN9320073000
COBB,JEREMIAH696900000
FRAZIER,BRANDON520520001

Auburn Defense:

#Player (Starter)TotTkSoloSackTFLIntBrUpQBHFF
9Asante,Eugene (LB)124110010
4James,DJ (CB)62001000
11McAllister,Elijah (DL)61000000
5Kaufman,Donovan (DB)51000000
10Puckett,Zion (DB)51000000
30Nixon III,Larry (LB)51000000
32Steiner,Wesley (LB)50000010
35McLeod,Jalen (LB)410.50.50000
36Simpson,Jaylin (DB)42000100
91Walker,Zykeivous (DL)42000000
50Harris,Marcus (DL)300.50.50000
3Lee,Kayin (CB)32000100
15Faulk,Keldric (DE)31000000
23Rhym,J.D. (CB)31000000
52Rogers,Justin (DL)33000000
1Pritchett,Nehemiah (DB)22000100
13Riley,Cam (LB)10000000
92Johnson,Lawrence (DT)10000000
99Jones,Jayson (DL)10000000
27Hunter,Jarquez00000000
38McPherson,Alex00000000
87Frazier,Brandon00000000
TOTALS7624121320

Auburn Punt Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD

Auburn Kick Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD
BATTIE,BRIAN37324280
HUNTER,JARQUEZ12020200
TOTAL49323280

Auburn Team Stats By Quarter:

1stRushPassCAITotYAvg3rdsPens
1st44-98-365-8-0453.80-21-5
2nd412-526-101-6-0623.42-52-12
3rd611-318-1006-8-01316.90-32-25
4th47-475-83-5-0554.61-20-0
Total1834-13927-15415-27-02934.83-125-42

Auburn Scoring Summary:

QtrClockScoreTypePlayDriveScore
214:22TDRUSHHunter,Jarquez 2 yd rush8/75/02:5317-7
311:35FGMcPherson,Alex 38 yd Field Goal8/55/03:2520-10
414:56TDPASSFrazier,Brandon 3 yd reception thrown by Ashford,Robby10/84/03:5134-18

LSU Passing:

#PLAYERC-AYDSTDIC%RTG
5DANIELS,JAYDEN20-273253174204.4

LSU Receiving:

#PLAYERNOYDSTDLNGAVGTGTC%
8NABERS,MALIK68912914.81155
2LACY,KYREN411115727.8580
28JACKSON,KALEB224013122100
86TAYLOR,MASON2180992100
1ANDERSON,AARON2140972100
11THOMAS JR.,BRIAN27043.5367
4EMERY JR.,JOHN149049491100
27WILLIAMS,JOSH113113131100
8 RECEIVERS2032535716.32774

LSU Rushing:

#PLAYERATTYDSTDLNGAVG
3DIGGS,LOGAN18971355.4
5DANIELS,JAYDEN11930268.5
4EMERY JR.,JOHN6421177
27WILLIAMS,JOSH26153
21CAIN,NOAH11011
5 RUSHERS392383356.1

LSU Punting:

PunterNOYDSAVGLNGI2050+
BRAMBLETT,JAY144444400

LSU Field Goals:

KickerTimeDistResult
Ramos,Damian1st-06:3930GOOD
Ramos,Damian2nd-10:2135GOOD
TOTAL2-2LONG OF 35

LSU All Purpose Yards:

PlayerTotRushRecKORPRIR-FRTDs
LACY,KYREN11101110001
DIGGS,LOGAN979700001
DANIELS,JAYDEN939300000

LSU Defense:

#Player (Starter)TotTkSoloSackTFLIntBrUpQBHFF
24Alexander,Zy (CB)96000200
1Speights,Omar (LB)82000000
30Penn III,Greg (LB)7200.50000
14Sam,Andre63000000
94Shand,Paris (DE)6101.50100
4Perkins Jr.,Harold (LB)54120110
99Jefferson,Jordan (DT)40000100
13Swinson,Bradyn (DE)32000000
8Burns,Major (DB)22000000
18Wingo,Mekhi (DT)22110000
29Hughes,Jeremiah (DB)21000000
33Weeks,West (LB)20000000
52Malbrue,Princeton (DE)20000000
95Hill,Tygee (DT)21000000
0Smith,Maason (DE)10000000
2Oghoufo,Ovie (LB)10000010
15Ryan,Sage (DB)11000000
35Jones,Sai’vion (DE)10000000
21Yaites,Ryan (DB)10000000
25Toviano,Javien11000000
31Dibert,Nathan11000000
40Weeks,Whit (LB)11000000
44Brathwaite,Christia (LB)10000000
86Taylor,Mason11000000
90Guillory,Jacobian (DL)10000000
2Lacy,Kyren00000000
3Diggs,Logan00000000
4Emery Jr.,John00000000
8Nabers,Malik00000000
27Williams,Josh00000000
34Ramos,Damian00000000
TOTALS7131250520

LSU Punt Returns:

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD

LSU Kick Returns

ReturnerNOYDSAVGLNGTD
JACKSON,KALEB16060600

LSU Team Stats By Quarter

1stRushPassCAITotYAvg3rdsPens
1st813-1097-1075-7-021610.81-25-35
2nd56-2212-717-12-1935.21-31-5
3rd46-184-1034-4-012112.12-24-35
4th814-894-444-4-01337.42-22-25
Total2539-23827-32520-27-15638.56-912-100

LSU Scoring Summary:

QtrClockScoreTypePlayDriveScore
113:21TDPASSNabers,Malik 29 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden4/75/01:397-0
106:39FGRamos,Damian 30 yd Field Goal11/66/05:2710-0
102:15TDRUSHEmery Jr.,John 2 yd rush6/65/03:0517-0
210:21FGRamos,Damian 35 yd Field Goal9/57/04:0120-7
308:00TDPASSLacy,Kyren 25 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden6/39/03:2527-10
303:53TDPASSWilliams,Josh 13 yd reception thrown by Daniels,Jayden4/67/02:0434-10
408:51TDRUSHDiggs,Logan 5 yd rush11/75/06:0541-18
402:28TDRUSHWilliams,Josh 1 yd rush7/48/04:4148-18

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