Trey’Dez Green was back, and LSU’s passing game looked like it had its full edge again in a 38-17 win over Auburn.
The return of Green after a knee injury in Week 3 gave LSU the kind of punch it had been missing for four weeks, and the Tigers wasted little time using it. On a snap that came so quickly Auburn never seemed set, LSU’s quarterback handled the pressure and found Green working the middle. Green did the rest, powering through four defenders and diving into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown that put LSU ahead 17-3 with nearly 10 minutes left before halftime.
Green had been the centerpiece of LSU’s passing attack before an Ole Miss defender collided with his knee and sent him to the sideline. On Saturday, his presence immediately changed the shape of the offense again.
But this wasn’t a one-man show. Jackson Harris, the Hawaii transfer who helped carry the load after Green went down, kept rolling with nine catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Together, Harris and Green made life miserable for Auburn’s defense.
“Having Trey’Dez on the field along with Jackson is (having) two dominant one-on-one players,” Leavitt said. “How are you going to cover two dominant one-on-one players? You can’t double them both.”
Harris answered Green’s score on the very next LSU drive, breaking loose for a 70-yard catch-and-run that stretched the lead to two scores. By halftime, he had already piled up 139 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions, with seven catches of 10-plus yards. The 70-yarder stood as LSU's longest play from scrimmage this year.
“Feel players. And when I say that it’s just the way that you feel space,” Leavitt said. “He feels it very well, and he’s very long to go catch back shoulder balls.”
Green finished with five catches for 50 yards and had four receptions by halftime, and his return didn’t crowd out LSU’s other options. Instead, it sharpened everything around him.
“You just feel different when he’s there,” Kiffin said. “That's why I was so in the tank when Dashawn and the two sevens (Green and Whit Weeks) went down because they're impactful players. It's kind of like, I don't know, like fishing with really good bait and tackle.”
LSU’s passing game has been finding its footing over the last four weeks, even without its most dangerous weapon. Leavitt’s accuracy has climbed during that stretch, with the quarterback completing more than 70% of his passes.
Harris has settled deeper into the offense, while running back Dilin Jones has become a dependable check-down target. Troy transfer Roman Mothershed and freshman Corey Barber have also earned bigger roles.
Even before Saturday, LSU led the SEC in passing yards without Green for more than half the season. Putting him back into the mix only makes the aerial attack tougher to handle.
“Every time you get man (coverage),” Leavitt said, “throw the ball to seven.”
The timing could hardly be better. LSU’s next stretch brings Alabama’s dangerous defensive line, then Texas and Tennessee, two of the best defenses in the country. Saturday offered a strong glimpse of what Kiffin’s offense can look like when the pieces are finally all on the field.
“This is what the whole thing was supposed to look like,” Kiffin said, “when we put it together.”
In Other News...
LSU Just Changed The Playoff Conversation With This Road Breakthrough
LSU's trip to Auburn brought more than a needed conference win. The Tigers walked out with a 38-17 victory that ended a frustrating skid of more than two years without an SEC road win, and it came with the kind of balance that has been missing at times this fall. Quarterback Sam Leavitt and receiver Jackson Harris helped drive the offense, while the defense kept Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown from finding much rhythm.
At 6-2, LSU still has a live path in the College Football Playoff discussion, and this was the sort of result that can change how the rest of the season feels. Road wins in the SEC are never easy, and this one mattered not just because of the standings, but because it suggested the Tigers can travel, execute and hold up on both sides of the ball when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Heads To Auburn With Playoff Pressure And A Key Boost
LSU heads to Auburn on Saturday with the kind of November pressure that turns every snap into a referendum on a season, and Jordan-Hare Stadium figures to be a difficult place to manage it. Both teams are carrying two losses and trying to keep their College Football Playoff hopes in view, which gives this one a sharper edge than a typical SEC road trip. The game will air on ABC with an 11 a.m. CT kickoff, setting up an early test for a Tigers team that can no longer afford to waste chances.
A key piece of help is coming back, too, with tight end Trey'Dez Green expected to return from injury. LSU has been working through the final stretch of the regular season without much margin for error, and getting Green back adds another option as the offense tries to navigate a game that could shape the rest of the conversation around its postseason path. Auburn is in the same position, which only raises the stakes for a matchup that already feels like it belongs in the must-win category. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs New-Look Lineup Raised One Immediate Concern Before The Opener
LSUs first exhibition look offered a clear glimpse of how much change this roster is carrying into the season. In the 89-87 loss to Florida State, the Tigers started three recently eligible newcomers in Skyy Clark, Saliou Niang and Brice Desser, while Donovan Dent set the tone offensively with 24 points and nine assists. It was the kind of early test that can reveal both promise and pressure, especially for a team trying to sort out roles before the games start counting.
The concern that came out of it was just as obvious as the talent on the floor. LSU still had pieces unavailable, with Gilad Levy sidelined because of eligibility and Austin Nunez out with an injury, leaving the rotation thinner than it will need to be once SEC play rolls around. For a new-look group trying to find chemistry quickly, the opener hinted at how much the Tigers may have to manage in the backcourt and beyond before the lineup is fully settled. [Read more 🡒]