Auburn’s biggest test right now may be the one that comes after beating Georgia.
That win, over the No. 1 team in the country in their building, was a long time coming for the Tigers. It also arrived only midway through the season, which means there’s no time to sit back and admire it.
No. 18 LSU is next, and Auburn is trying hard to make sure Saturday’s high doesn’t turn into a flat week of preparation.
Cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant said Tuesday that the message inside the program has been simple: stay locked in on the work.
“We go through the things we’ve been through the last few years here, it’s kind of hard to not try to get too high because we know how it feels when you lose,” Auburn cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant said on Tuesday. “I told them boys this morning, ‘We a program built on work, not success.’ And it’s just about us controlling what we can control.
“Coming out here every day and attacking the practice field with the right mindset. Knowing that we can be the same ones as losing the next week, which is all about our approach during the week.”
That kind of warning about the post-upset lull has been part of Auburn’s conversation all week. Multiple players said the staff has hammered home the danger of letting one big win spill into a sloppy Monday-through-Friday routine.
“It’s our everyday process. Our practice today, it didn’t seem like we were relieved,” said Auburn edge rusher Jared Smith.
“LSU is a good team. They’re coming in here ranked 18th and that’s for a reason.”
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin said on Monday that he was rooting for Auburn to beat Georgia, believing it might help his team the following week. He also pointed to the “relief syndrome” he discussed in his press conference, the kind of emotional dip Auburn is trying to avoid after its breakthrough win.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh joked Monday that after a game like that, he has to fend off the outside world telling his players how great they are. Kiffin also noted how social media can make it easier for teams to get pulled off track.
Senior tight end Jake Johnson wasn’t buying that Auburn is suddenly dealing with a social-media problem.
“I don’t think anybody’s focused on the social media part of it,” Johnson said. “We’re all dialed into what we do during practice.
What comes from practice shows up in the game. We’re not really focused about what the media says.”
Auburn now has another ranked opponent staring it down, and the challenge is straightforward: bring the same edge without carrying the emotional baggage that sometimes follows a season-defining win. The Tigers and LSU are set for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, with ABC carrying the game.
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Browns work as both a runner and passer helped Auburn keep the Bulldogs off balance, and his final drive was the one that mattered most in closing out the win. Golesh, after the game, pointed to the backing the program has received from former Auburn legends, a reminder that this kind of victory tends to bring the past and present together fast at a place where expectations never stay quiet for long. [Read more 🡒]