Lane Kiffin sees a familiar college football danger lurking for Auburn this week, and he’s not shy about naming it.
“Relief syndrome is real," Kiffin said Monday during his weekly press conference, with LSU’s matchup against Auburn on the docket.
The idea is straightforward enough: a team rides an emotional high after a massive win, then has to turn around and handle the next week without letting its edge slip. In this case, Auburn is coming off a road win over No. 1 Georgia, and Kiffin thinks that creates a real test.
“That’s a real thing; that’s a real challenge,” Kiffin said. “I was rooting for (Auburn) to win.”
That doesn’t mean LSU is suddenly a lock. It does mean Auburn will have to guard against a letdown after one of the biggest victories in the country.
The Tigers from Auburn have put together a strong season, even if the record and rankings haven’t fully caught up. They’re 4-2, with a five-point loss to Florida and a 24-14 defeat at Tennessee in Neyland. Those are respectable losses, but Auburn is still outside the top 25 in Alex Golesh’s first season.
Even after knocking off the top team in the nation, Auburn did not break into the rankings. Now it gets another chance to earn a statement win and force its way in.
That motivation matters, because Auburn still has plenty to play for. Relief syndrome may be the warning sign, but the chip on its shoulder is still there.
LSU, meanwhile, has been a few plays away from looking like a different team entirely. The Tigers are only nine points from being 7-0, and both of their losses came on the road: 32-24 at Ole Miss and 35-34 at Kentucky.
At times, LSU has flashed like a team that belongs in the national title conversation. At other times, costly mistakes have stopped that momentum cold.
The frustrating part for LSU is that those issues have only shown up away from home. At home, the Tigers have been far more comfortable, and their closest game in Baton Rouge was a 29-point win over Texas A&M.
Now LSU has a chance to answer one of the biggest questions hanging over it: whether the road really is a problem.
But the answer has to come in a tough place, against an Auburn team that just took down No. 1 Georgia and won’t be in any mood to hand over anything easy.
LSU can’t count on Auburn to beat itself. If the Tigers want to walk out with a win, they’ll have to earn it with their own strengths, start fast on both sides of the ball, and keep pressing until the final second. If they don’t, Auburn is talented enough to make them pay and potentially end LSU’s playoff hopes.
In Other News...
Former LSU Defender Clouds Auburn's Trip To Baton Rouge
Auburns defense found a way to handle Georgia without linebacker Xavier Atkins, but his status remains a question as the Tigers turn their attention toward Baton Rouge. Atkins was unavailable for the matchup because of a disciplinary issue, and head coach Alex Golesh said the program is still working through the situation without offering any timeline for a return.
The timing matters for LSU because Auburn is heading into a road game with momentum after beating the top-ranked Bulldogs 27-24 and looking sharp on that side of the ball even without one of its defenders. Whether Atkins is back in the mix by then could shape how Auburn approaches a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Suddenly Has A Troubling EJ Crowell Question
As the SEC race keeps taking shape, Alabama is suddenly dealing with a question at running back that could matter beyond Tuscaloosa. EJ Crowells injury adds another layer of uncertainty for a Crimson Tide offense that was already trying to sort out its backfield, and for LSU fans keeping one eye on the conference picture, any stumble from Alabama changes the margin for error in the weeks ahead.
It also comes at a time when the league is seeing a few notable names pop up on injury reports, including LSU edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who also may have to miss some time. With Ohio States Julian Sayin expected to be out for several weeks and other big-program players dealing with their own issues, the early-season health picture is already starting to shape which teams can hold steady and which ones have to adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Heads To Jordan-Hare With One Big Road-Game Concern
Lane Kiffin didnt exactly dismiss the mystique around Auburns Jordan-Hare Stadium when he spoke this week, and that alone says plenty about the kind of road test LSU is walking into. Auburns upset of Georgia only added to the sense that this trip can turn strange quickly, and Kiffin used his press conference to acknowledge both the venues reputation and the challenge that comes with trying to win there.
For LSU, the bigger concern may be less about ghosts and more about availability, because Kiffin did not offer any injury updates on several players ahead of the game. That leaves the Tigers heading into a difficult SEC road matchup with one major piece of the puzzle still unresolved, and it is the sort of uncertainty that can matter just as much as anything Auburn does on the field. [Read more 🡒]