ESPN’s Bill Connelly sees Saturday’s LSU-Auburn matchup as one of the SEC’s most volatile spots this weekend, and he’s leaning toward the Tigers from Baton Rouge.
No. 18 LSU heads to Auburn for a noon ABC kickoff, and Connelly says the game has all the ingredients to get messy in the usual way.
He pointed out that “The Earthquake Game? The Barn Burner?
Yeah, Auburn-LSU can get weird. And Lane Kiffin hasn't even been involved yet.”
What stands out to him is how LSU has worked its way back into the SEC picture while others around it have stumbled. With “just about everyone around them losing,” Connelly wrote, LSU and Kiffin moved back into the SEC hunt, and the Tigers are now at least slight projected favorites in each of their remaining games.
He sees Auburn as capable, especially on the ground. The Tigers upset Georgia last week, even while getting “pummeled statistically,” and Connelly credited that result to a plus-3 turnover margin and stronger special teams play. Auburn can “hold its own” running the ball and stopping the run, but Connelly says LSU has the clearer edge when the game goes to the air.
That’s where LSU’s defense and pass rush come into focus. Connelly noted the Tigers rank second in sack rate without blitzing much, with edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen leading the way with eight sacks. He also singled out freshman Deuce Geralds, calling him a possible early standout at tackle in the pass rush.
On offense, Connelly described LSU’s passing game as “almost delightfully old school,” with the Tigers leaning on RPOs more than almost anyone. He said those concepts still force a defense into tough decisions, and quarterback Sam Leavitt’s ability to run gives LSU a real weapon if Auburn guesses wrong.
Connelly’s bottom line was simple: Auburn is good, but LSU has more ways to win this one.
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For LSU, the bigger question is whether that improved playoff positioning can hold up if the little things start tilting the other way. Auburn has already shown it can knock off a heavyweight, and this is the kind of setting where intangibles matter just as much as form. If LSU wants to leave with its conference hopes strengthened, it will need to match Auburns energy early and avoid the kind of game-breaking moments that can quickly change a night in Jordan-Hare. [Read more 🡒]