Auburn’s defense left Jordan-Hare Stadium with more than a loss on Saturday. It left behind a pile of questions about how DJ Durkin and the Tigers handled a secondary that kept getting exposed in a 38-17 defeat to LSU.
The numbers tell the story fast. Auburn gave up 552 total yards, with 387 coming through the air, as Sam Leavitt and LSU picked apart the Tigers’ back end. Jackson Harris was the main problem, hauling in nine catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Andre Jordan Jr. had a rough day in coverage, and Auburn as a whole never settled in defensively. After showing well as a boundary defender against Georgia a week earlier, he was targeted 10 times and allowed every one of those passes to be completed, finishing with 114 yards allowed. The Tigers also had issues with communication and tackling on the back end.
One of the biggest breakdowns came after safety Eric Winters left the game with an injury. AnQuon Fegans stepped in, but he missed his coverage assignment as the helping safety, and Harris turned that mistake into a 70-yard touchdown reception.
That kind of error is part of football. What stood out here was Auburn’s refusal to really shake things up.
The Tigers have other defensive backs available, including Gavin Jenkins, who Alex Golesh said earlier this offseason is an NFL-caliber corner. Still, he didn’t see reps. Auburn kept leaning on the same pieces while LSU kept finding space and big gains through the air.
That raised the comparison to what happened on the other side of the ball with Jeremiah Cobb. Cobb reportedly missed a blitz pickup and was then held out for three straight offensive series.
On offense, one mistake came with a clear consequence. On defense, repeated issues in coverage didn’t lead to the same kind of adjustment.
When LSU was consistently finding open receivers, Auburn never seemed to land on a different answer.
Durkin’s defense has now had issues against multiple SEC opponents this season, and Saturday felt like the most alarming showing yet. Auburn couldn’t generate consistent pressure on Leavitt, had trouble finishing tackles in space, and gave up too many explosive plays.
The Tigers have shown they can hang with some of the top teams in college football. But this loss showed that the staff still has work to do, especially when it comes to recognizing when a change is needed.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Made A Serious Auburn Accusation After LSU Win
The aftermath of LSUs win at Auburn carried an extra layer of scrutiny after Lane Kiffin said he believed Tigers defenders were trying to use a hip-drop tackle on LSU tight end TreyDez Green. Green, who had just returned from a lower-body injury, was active throughout the game and made his presence felt with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, but the contact he absorbed clearly became part of the story once the game was over.
Hip-drop tackles have already been banned by the NFL because of the injury risk involved, which is why Kiffins comment drew immediate attention beyond the usual postgame noise. Greens workload tapered off late, and the concern around his usage added another wrinkle to a physical night in Auburn that LSU was happy to survive, even if the conversation afterward drifted well past the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Dragged Auburn Into A Bigger Postgame Debate
Lane Kiffin turned a routine postgame conversation into something bigger when he singled out Auburns defenders for using hip-drop tackles against LSU tight end Treyd ez Green. Green was taken out of the game amid concerns about those tackles, a technique still not banned in college football, and Kiffins comments pushed the focus beyond the final score and into the way the game was being played.
The more interesting part for Auburn is how Kiffin framed the late-game choices from his own sideline, too. He said he put starting defenders back in despite the injury risk, pointing to player requests and the kind of mentality he wanted from his team, which only added another layer to the debate over where toughness ends and unnecessary danger begins. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns LSU Collapse Put One Alex Golesh Question Front And Center
Alex Golesh didnt try to soften the blow after Auburns 38-17 loss to LSU, putting the offensive problems squarely on his own shoulders. He said the game plan wasnt effective and pointed to missed tackles on defense as part of a night in which Auburn gave up 552 total yards while finishing with just 271 of its own.
The broader concern now is whether the Tigers can clean up enough in a hurry before a road trip to Ole Miss. Auburn managed only 67 rushing yards against LSU, and Golesh made it clear the fix has to come through better strategy and sharper execution, two things the Tigers will need if they want to avoid another lopsided result. [Read more 🡒]