Auburn gets LSU this Saturday in a matchup that arrives with plenty of emotional baggage attached, especially for the home team.
The unranked Tigers are coming off one of the biggest wins of the season in the SEC, a 27-24 road upset of then-No. 1 Georgia on a walk-off 34-yard field goal by Alex McPherson. Now they have to do the harder part: show up again a week later and look just as sharp.
That’s the concern LSU coach Lane Kiffin raised this week, and it’s a real one in his eyes. He said Auburn’s emotional state was on his mind even before McPherson’s kick split the uprights.
"I was rooting for them at the end of the game to win, knowing we were playing them the next week," Kiffin said, "just because it makes it more challenging.
"Relief syndrome is real. That doesn't mean we're going to win this week and they're going to lose, but it's a real challenge."
LSU, ranked No. 18, has its own issues to manage on the road. The Tigers are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC, but both of their conference losses have come away from home - 32-24 at Ole Miss and 35-34 in overtime at Kentucky.
The road results haven’t been pretty for LSU in league play lately, either. Before Kiffin arrived this season, the program had dropped its last six conference road games, and the current skid in SEC away games now stands at eight straight since a 34-10 win at Arkansas on Oct. 19, 2024.
Kiffin pointed to the simplest explanation for what changes on the road.
"When you go (on the road), it's about making fewer mistakes," Kiffin said. "A lot of times on the road, when you break down your losses and close losses, it's not necessarily about how many plays the other team makes. It's more about the mistakes you make."
The numbers back that up in LSU’s two SEC road defeats. At then-No.
8 Ole Miss on Sept. 19, LSU was flagged seven times and both teams turned it over once.
At Kentucky on Oct. 10, the Tigers again had seven penalties and added two turnovers while failing to force a takeaway.
But last week looked different. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt was involved in all three turnovers in those losses, yet the offense produced its cleanest showing of the season in a 31-0 win over visiting Mississippi State, then-No. 16 at the time.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh knows the atmosphere waiting for his team will be loud, but he wants the focus to stay on the routine, not the headline result from a week ago.
"Good win, bad loss, (the process) has to be the same," Golesh said. "If I've learned anything from this conference, like you are just good enough to get your (butt) beat every Saturday if it ain't right."
Auburn’s conference path has already been uneven at home. Before the Georgia upset, the Tigers beat Vanderbilt and lost to Florida in their previous SEC home games. Overall, Auburn is 4-2 and 2-2 in conference play.
Golesh also said after last week’s win that the moment can get dangerous if a team starts believing too much too soon.
"Human nature tells you we're good," Golesh said after last week's victory, "and then you flip on this Louisiana State University team and get humbled really, really quickly -- this dude's gonna run it by you really quickly."
The standings and stat sheet give Auburn a clear warning. LSU ranks second in the SEC in scoring, while Auburn sits 13th.
LSU is tied for second in scoring defense; Auburn is ninth. LSU leads the league in offensive yards and total defense.
Auburn is 14th in offensive yards and 12th in total defense.
In Other News...
Auburn Still Waiting On Key Signee As Eligibility Fight Drags On
Auburns exhibition matchup with Alabama in Birmingham is already feeling the effects of a legal fight that has pushed back the arrival of international signee Mantas Rubtaviius. The delay in the lawsuit between Rubtaviius and the NCAA means he remains unavailable for the game, leaving Auburn to move forward without one of the newcomers it was counting on this fall.
Rubtaviius situation has become a reminder that roster building does not always move on a clean timetable, especially when eligibility questions are still tied up in court. For Auburn, the bigger concern is simple: a player expected to be part of the mix is still stuck in limbo, and there is no clear resolution yet as the Tigers prepare for the next step of their preseason schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Is Giving Jordan-Hare An Extra Edge For LSU
Jordan-Hare Stadium is set to sound a little different for Auburns next home test. The university plans to amplify the crowd atmosphere for Saturdays matchup with No. 18 LSU by using microphones for the marching band and field-level speakers, a move aimed at turning an already charged setting into something even more difficult for the visitors to navigate.
It comes on the heels of Auburns upset of No. 1 Georgia, which only sharpened the anticipation around another major home stage. The LSU game is set for 11 a.m. Central on ABC, and with kickoff coming early in the day, Auburn is clearly looking for every possible edge to make Jordan-Hare feel as loud as it can from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Playoff Buzz Suddenly Feels Real After One Massive Win
Beating No. 1 Georgia as a hefty underdog changed the conversation around Auburn in a hurry, and now the Tigers are sitting at 4-2 with a lot more attention than they had a week ago. Under Alex Golesh, the season suddenly looks like more than a rebuilding job, because a win like that gives a team credibility, momentum and a reason to check the calendar a little differently.
The schedule ahead will decide whether the buzz turns into something sturdier, with LSU and Ole Miss looming as the next major tests. Auburns College Football Playoff path is still very much a scenario-based discussion rather than a finished product, but after knocking off the top team in the country, the door feels open enough to keep watching. [Read more 🡒]