LSU left Saturday with a 38-17 win over Auburn, and the numbers from Pro Football Focus say the Tigers backed it up with one of their better all-around outings of the season.
The overall team grade came in at 83.6, which marks the second straight week LSU has cleared the 80-point mark. It also stands as the third-highest team grade of the year, trailing only the wins over Louisiana Tech and McNeese State.
A lot of that damage came from the usual heavy hitters. Wide receiver Jackson Harris led the way with a 90.2 grade, continuing a strong run near the top of LSU’s PFF leaderboard.
He turned in career bests with nine catches for 178 yards and added his third two-touchdown game of the season. Harris was perfect on his contested chances, and his 73 yards after the catch were fueled by a 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt was right there among LSU’s top performers for the second week in a row. He finished 32 of 45 for 387 yards, three touchdowns and also added eight carries for 54 yards and another score. His 84.0 grade reflected a night where he kept the offense moving in every phase.
Cornerback DJ Pickett posted an 84.6, his best grade of the season. He stacked up two tackles, including one for loss, along with two pass break-ups. Auburn threw his way five times, and he gave up just one catch for 1 yard.
Defensive end Jordan Ross also flashed again after stepping up a week earlier when Princewill Umanmielen exited early. Against Auburn, Ross produced two sacks, four tackles and a pass break-up. He posted a pass rush win rate of 17.9% and finished with an average depth of tackle of -1 yard.
Running back Caden Durham rounded out LSU’s five highest-graded players with a 72.7. He was on the field for just 11 offensive snaps, but made them count with three carries for 22 yards.
A 7-yard catch was wiped out by a Jordan Seaton holding penalty. Durham has logged only 53 snaps this season, with 26 of those coming against McNeese, and he entered the Auburn game with just nine carries for 14 yards.
On the other end of the scale, LSU’s lowest grades were spread across both the offense and defense. Wide receiver Tre’ Brown came in at 48.2 after playing just 11 snaps without a target. He did receive a 60.0 grade as a run blocker, but was also flagged once.
Winston Watkins Jr. posted a 54.8, giving him a sub-60 grade for the second straight week and the third time this season. He caught four of six targets for 40 yards and also had one drop.
Cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson, LSU’s No. 3 corner, played 17 snaps and was targeted once, allowing a 17-yard completion. That helped produce a 57.8 coverage grade.
Right tackle Weston Davis continued to struggle to reach the level LSU wants, as he still has not earned a PFF grade above 70 this season. He was charged with the team’s only sack allowed and gave up three hurries, finishing with a 51.4 run blocking grade and a 66.4 pass blocking grade.
Left guard William Satterwhite II had a rough run-blocking night as well, finishing with a 58.9 overall grade. He allowed one hurry and posted a 73.1 pass blocking grade, but his 52.5 run blocking mark dragged him down. It was his fifth grade below 60 this season.
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For LSU fans, Arandas name still carries weight because of what he helped build in Baton Rouge before moving on, and this latest chapter adds another layer to how his career is being remembered. Baylor turned to defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman as interim coach, while Aranda is expected to receive a $12 million buyout, leaving one more big number attached to a tenure that started with promise and ended in disappointment. [Read more 🡒]