Auburn walked out of its 38-17 loss to LSU with a long list of problems, and head coach Alex Golesh did not try to soften any of it. The Tigers gave up 552 total yards, managed only 271 of their own, and now have to turn the page quickly with Ole Miss next on the schedule.
Golesh centered his postgame comments on the offense, which looked nothing like the group that beat Georgia a week earlier. Auburn never found a rhythm on the ground, couldn’t keep Byrum Brown clean, and spent much of the night punting after stalled drives.
"We didn't find enough creative ways to be able to generate run game," Golesh said. "And kind of goes back to we've got to be really, really, really strategic in how we generate run game."
That showed up in the numbers. Auburn finished with just 67 rushing yards after having success there against Georgia, and Golesh didn’t try to pass the blame around.
"I'll own 100% of the plan wasn't good enough," Golesh said.
The defense had its own breakdowns, and the secondary in particular had trouble finishing plays. Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns, repeatedly finding open targets as Auburn missed too many tackles and let short gains turn into chunk plays.
"And so now those fours and fives turn into nines and tens," Golesh said.
That trend helped LSU keep drives alive and produced explosive moments, including Jackson Harris’ 70-yard touchdown reception. Auburn also struggled to keep the Tigers from piling up big numbers through the air.
Golesh was blunt about the overall performance.
"There’s no silver lining. There’s no anything. That was bad in every imaginable way," Golesh said.
Auburn is now 4-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play, and Golesh said the group can’t stay stuck on what happened Saturday.
"We've had the highs of highs so far, and that would be the low of lows," Golesh said.
The Tigers have shown they can hang with top competition, but this loss made clear how far they still have to go if they want that level to become the norm.
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 DJ Durkins Defensive Choices Under Fire
Auburns trip to LSU turned into a rough night for the defense, with the Tigers surrendering 552 total yards in a 38-17 loss that kept the pressure squarely on DJ Durkins unit. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards, and Auburns secondary had trouble keeping up from the start, with Andre Jordan Jr. failing to break up any of the passes thrown his way.
The bigger concern for Auburn was how long the breakdowns lingered without much visible adjustment from the sideline. AnQuon Fegans missed a key coverage assignment that led to a touchdown, and even as the defense continued to get picked apart, the coaching staff did not make major personnel changes in the game, leaving plenty to question about how the Tigers tried to respond. [Read more 🡒]