BATON ROUGE, La. - On Saturday night, Auburn will travel to LSU for what might be the final time on a yearly basis. The 58th matchup between the two will look a little different this year, as there is no guarantee that they will appear on each other's schedules for years to come, as the SEC plans to do away with divisions.
That makes this year's matchup in Death Valley mean a little bit more. There is no doubt that the Bayou Bengals and their passionate fans will be at full throat. “We get to go represent Auburn in that environment,” said Head Coach Hugh Freeze. “It is a tough place to play, and it is a special place for many coaches.”
Auburn has experienced little offensive success on the road this year, and that narrative will certainly need to change if Auburn plans on walking out of Tiger Stadium with a win. Coming off the bye week, Freeze’s team plans on continuing to build their identity through the ground game. “I feel like we can do that pretty well,” said Freeze. “There’s no question that running the football helps.”
While Auburn has found success running the ball this season, it will certainly take an efficiently balanced offensive attack to beat LSU. In their last six power five games, Auburn has failed to throw for over 100 yards.
“You do have to be balanced to win big games,” Freeze said. “I think that’s been a challenge for us to this point.”
Something has to give, however, when the Auburn Tigers 121st ranked pass offense faces the LSU Tigers 121st ranked pass defense. For a team who has struggled throwing the ball against power five opponents, this is a great opportunity for Junior quarterback Payton Thorne and the Tigers QB room to get the ball rolling, and to continue to build connections with popular targets.
“They all have a shot,” Freeze said of his young wide receiver corp. “I’m excited to see our kids compete this week, and hopefully make some plays.”
On the other side of the ball, the LSU offense presents Auburn with a challenge unlike any other they have faced this season. The electric offense of LSU has scored 34 or more points in all six of their games this season, and has a legitimate Heisman candidate at the helm.
“I think their offense is the most explosive that I’ve seen in a long time,” said Freeze. “[Jayden Daniels], if he’s not in the Heisman discussion, there is a problem.” The LSU quarterback is having a career defining season, already throwing for 1,970 yards and 19 touchdowns.
A banged up Auburn defense will certainly have their hands full, but players are motivated and ready to step up. “I mean, Death Valley? I love Death Valley,” said Senior cornerback Jaylin Simpson. “Since I’ve been here, I’m 2-2 vs. LSU, So this is like a tie breaker for me. I’m trying to win that tie breaker.”
Auburn will enter Tiger Stadium as 11 point underdogs, but Tiger fans can expect a scrappy and spirited performance in possibly one of the last installments in what has become a storied rivalry. This highly anticipated game will kick off at 6:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
