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...
LSU Heads To Auburn With Two More Starter Questions
LSUs injury picture got a little murkier coming out of the Mississippi State game, and now the Tigers are heading into Auburn with two more starter questions hanging over the week. Princewill Umanmielen and Jackson Harris both went down in the contest, and both figures are likely to land on the injury report as LSU starts sorting out who will be available for a road trip that already figures to test the depth chart.
Umanmielens issue is an upper body injury believed to be head-related, which could put him into concussion protocol, while Harris left with a foot injury and was seen in a boot afterward. Brian Kelly didnt offer any medical updates, though he did indicate Harris is expected to be fine, and LSU is prepared to lean on backups if either player cant go against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Lost A Key Piece In Will Wades First Season
LSU has settled one eligibility fight before the season even tips, and the result leaves Will Wades first roster with a notable hole. Guard RJ Luis Jr. will not be cleared by the SEC to play for the Tigers after the league determined he violated conference rules tied to signing a professional contract, ending the programs battle over his status and shifting the focus to getting ready for the year ahead.
There is at least one brighter note in Baton Rouge, though, because forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible for the season. Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his decision to attend college came before recent NCAA rule changes, allowing LSU to keep him in the mix as it tries to move past the Luis situation and sort out its rotation. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-Auburn Just Got More Complicated At Linebacker
LSUs trip to Auburn took a hit when linebacker Whit Weeks suffered a fractured right leg and is expected to miss the upcoming game. Weeks has been a key part of the Tigers defensive plans, so his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already carried plenty of weight.
Auburn is dealing with its own linebacker shakeup after Xaiver Atkins was dismissed from the team ahead of the game, following an earlier suspension for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Atkins has said he plans to enter the transfer portal, while Auburn coach Alex Golesh has not revealed what led to the discipline, leaving both sides with major questions in the middle of a conference matchup that was already shaping up to be tricky enough. [Read more 🡒]