LSU left Auburn with a 38-17 win in Week 8, and the offense had the kind of day that can carry a team into a bye with real momentum. The Tigers picked up their first SEC road win in more than two years, stretched their winning streak to two games after the loss at Kentucky in early October, and moved to 6-2 heading into the break.
The bigger picture is still wide open. LSU has every goal it started the season chasing still sitting in front of it, and the path from here is difficult. But if the Tigers run the table, the College Football Playoff remains on the board.
What stood out most in Auburn was how complete the offense looked. LSU has put up 69 points across its last two games, quarterback Sam Leavitt is playing the best football of his career, and the unit looked confident from start to finish. Leavitt threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns and again protected the football, marking the second straight game without a turnover.
The receiving corps keeps giving him more and more to work with, and Jackson Harris is quickly looking like much more than a useful addition. LSU expected a veteran pass catcher when Harris arrived from Hawai'i, where he had 49 catches for 963 yards in 2025 with 12 touchdowns and a 19.7-yard average. What the Tigers are getting now is a true difference-maker.
Harris showed the full bag against Auburn. He won contested balls outside, handled back-shoulder throws, worked the middle, and turned catches into extra yardage. His biggest play came on a 70-yard catch-and-run, when he separated on a dig route, took the ball from Leavitt, and outran two Auburn defenders to the end zone.
Dilin Jones is becoming another valuable piece in this offense, and not just as a runner. He first made his name as a physical downhill back in LSU’s Week 1 win over Clemson, then kept producing from there.
Now he’s adding another layer as a receiver. Jones has 30 catches for 217 yards, which leads all SEC running backs, and he’s become a dependable outlet when Leavitt needs a quick answer.
Once he has the ball in space, he’s also showing he can make a miss and squeeze out more yards.
The line did its part, too, and Jordan Seaton had one of his best outings as a Tiger at left tackle. LSU made a major investment to land him, and at Auburn he justified it by holding up in pass protection and helping open holes in the run game.
If LSU is going where it wants to go, Seaton has to keep playing at that level. The early returns in 2026 have been solid, and Auburn felt like a step toward something even better over the final stretch of the regular season.
Then there was Trey'Dez Green, who came back earlier than expected after the injury he suffered at Ole Miss. Reports had suggested the LSU tight end might not return until November, but he was back on the field and looked like himself. Green caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, giving LSU another threat in the red zone.
At 6-foot-7, Green changes how defenses have to play. He’s a problem in man coverage, and LSU can move him around to create mismatches, whether that means using him in the flat or sending him downfield on a crosser. He didn’t play a full workload, but when he was out there, he looked healthy and moved well.
Leavitt’s command may have been the clearest sign of all. LSU’s offense played cleanly, and the quarterback got the ball out quickly for most of the night.
Auburn’s corners gave the Tigers room underneath, and LSU took it without forcing anything. When the space was there, Leavitt delivered fast.
That kind of processing was something he had to clean up earlier in the year. Now he looks settled, the timing with his receivers is sharper, and the offense is operating far more smoothly than it was in November.
In Other News...
LSUs Auburn Grades Exposed Whos Fueling This Surge And Who Isnt
LSUs 38-17 win over Auburn came with another strong showing in the grading sheet, as Pro Football Focus gave the Tigers an 83.6 overall mark. It was the second straight week LSU finished above 80, a sign that the offense and defense are both carrying real momentum as the season starts to take shape.
Jackson Harris led the way with a 90.2 grade, while DJ Pickett also landed among the top performers at 84.6. On the other end, Tre Brown and William Satterwhite II were the lowest-graded LSU players, a reminder that even in a comfortable win, there are still a few spots the Tigers will want to clean up before the next test. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit Dave Arandas Legacy
Dave Arandas run at Baylor ended with another abrupt reset, as the school moved on from the former LSU defensive coordinator after a 4-3 start in his seventh season. Joe Klanderman was elevated to interim coach, closing a tenure that had produced a 40-40 record and included multiple losing seasons in recent years.
For LSU fans, it is another chance to look back at a coach whose name still carries real weight in Baton Rouge because of what he built on that side of the ball. Aranda is expected to receive a $12 million buyout, a reminder of how costly these coaching changes can be, even as Baylor now searches for a cleaner direction after years of uneven results. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Is Climbing But One Thing Still Stands Between The Tigers And The Playoff
Another wild Saturday across college football is likely to shake up the AP poll, and LSU is sitting in a much better spot because of it. Two previously unbeaten teams lost for the first time this season to unranked opponents, while two one-loss teams also stumbled against unranked foes, opening the door for the Tigers to climb as pollsters reassess the field. Miami still looks locked into No. 1 after another dominant showing, but the churn behind the top spot is exactly the kind of chaos that can help a team like LSU move closer to the conversation that matters most.
For LSU, the bigger picture is still about where it lands in the playoff race and how much ground it can make up with the contenders around it taking hits. Oklahoma State, Iowa and Texas Tech are among the teams facing possible movement after the weekends results, and every reshuffle matters this time of year. The Tigers can benefit from the mess in front of them, but they still need the rankings to break their way before anything feels secure. [Read more 🡒]