The Auburn Tigers will play on their home turf this Saturday against their old SEC West rival, the No. 17 LSU Tigers.
Saturday's game will be the first since the 2024 season and the 56th all-time between two SEC founding members. It will also be the first time in nearly a month that Auburn has played in front of its home fans in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn head coach Alex Golesh says his team can not wait to get back to the Plains, especially after last week's win over then-No. 1 Georgia.
"The excitement to get back home, the excitement to play at Jordan-Hare, the excitement to play in front of our fans, I can't tell you how geeked our guys are to get right back out on the field," Golesh said Monday.
However, the first test post-Georgia will be
against LSU, a team that nearly mirrors Georgia in major stat categories. Golesh believes slowing down LSU's offense will be his team's greatest challenge.
"We're playing an LSU team that's offensively, over 500 yards a game, 40-plus points per game, explosive in every way, and really, really balanced - almost 200 yards a game rushing and over 300 yards a game passing," Golesh said of LSU. "They're top-10 in the country in just about every offensive category. They've had some turnovers and, again, for us to win in those margins, that's a huge piece of what we have to get done defensively."
Auburn hopes to add another top 25 win to its total on Saturday, but it must play clean, efficient football. Below are five ways Auburn could struggle with the LSU Tigers on Saturday.
If the dreaded letdown game strikes Auburn next
It has happened to Ole Miss, Florida, and Georgia. All three teams lost one week after earning emotional, important wins over SEC opponents. Could Auburn be next?
If the letdown game strikes Auburn in Week 8, it will not be because the Tigers are still riding the high of their emotional win over Georgia. It will be because of the pressure to perform at the same level for the second week in a row. We have not seen an Alex Golesh-led Auburn team respond to a big-time win; however, the result will show on Saturday.
If Sam Leavitt's passing game is efficient
LSU signed one of the transfer portal's notable quarterbacks over the offseason: former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. Leavitt got off to a rocky start, throwing four interceptions to just three touchdowns in his first three games, completing just 61% of his passes for 732 yards.
He has since made adjustments. He has completed at least 73% of his passes in each of his last four games for 1,053 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing just three interceptions. Leavitt played his cleanest game of the season last week, completing 82% of his passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions in LSU's win over Mississippi State.
If Leavitt's upward trend continues on Saturday, the Auburn defensive backs could be in for a workout.
If Auburn cannot contain Dilin Jones
Auburn's top priority this week, and every week, is to slow down their opponent's run game. Specifically, their opponent's premier back. The trend continued last week as Auburn's defense limited Georgia's Dwight Phillips Jr. to 68 yards, and the Bulldogs to 113 total rushing yards.
Wisconsin transfer running back Dilin Jones is up to 566 rushing yards this season with LSU and has two 100-yard games. If Jones mirrors the success Florida's Jadan Baugh and Tennessee's Desean Bishop had against Auburn, it could spell doom for the orange and blue Tigers.
If LSU controls the clock
Auburn does not have to win the time-of-possession battle over LSU on Saturday, but its offense needs to stay on the field as long as possible. LSU has the SEC's best offense with 504 yards per game, and the conference's best defense, giving up 256 yards per game.
The longer Auburn's offense stays on the field, the less likely LSU will control the game. It is an obvious statement, but an important one.
If Auburn loses the battle on 3rd down
Auburn football will need to be efficient on 3rd down on Saturday, on both sides of the ball. LSU's offense has converted 30 more 1st downs than the next team in the SEC, Florida, and has allowed the second-fewest 1st downs in the SEC behind Oklahoma. Additionally, LSU has converted 53% of its 3rd-down plays this season, which ranks No. 2 among SEC programs.
On the other side, Auburn ranks No. 14 in 1st-down conversions allowed (21 per game), and No. 6 in 3rd-down conversions (46%). Auburn will need to improve in those areas on Saturday to beat LSU.
Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky. FollowAuburn Wire on X andFacebook.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Five reasons why Auburn football could struggle with LSU on Saturday
