The last time Auburn and LSU met as an unranked team was in 1999 when Auburn won 41-7 at Baton Rouge. As in 1999, Auburn celebrated Saturday afternoon in the Jordan Hare Stadium. The domestic Tigers played the most impressive performance of the year for coach Gus Malzahn’s team with 48: 11.
Bo Nix hit Eli Stove on a 9-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to start scoring, and Christian Tutt fumbled a TJ Finley 20 yards back for two points later in the second quarter. Nix then hit a wide-open Ze’Vian Capers with less than a minute of play in the first half to turn him sideways.
And it got really, really sideways. Nix added another touchdown pass and a 5-yard scoring run in the second half, and Tank Bigsby, running back, hit him twice as well. The Tigers scored touchdowns on the first four trips of the second half to bring LSU the worst loss in the history of the rivalry.
Put simply, LSU’s offensive just couldn’t begin with Finley in the spotlight as the freshman started in place of injured Myles Brennan for the second straight week. Finley threw two picks (including one to Nehemiah Pritchett for the first score of the game) and was used in the second half in favor of Max Johnson.
The win brings Auburn to 4-2 in the season, while defending champion LSU drops to 2-3.
Let’s break down some of the top food stalls from Saturday’s matchup.
Is nothing back? The second quarterback was up and down during his short career, but that felt different. This felt like the nothing touted as a differentiator on an offensive that perfectly suits his skills. Why? Because he didn’t panic and controlled the game from the start.
Nix had good feet in all five of Auburn’s games in 2020, and for good reason. His offensive line didn’t exactly do much to allay his concerns. But it was sometimes so bad that he went on bail almost immediately after the snap. He didn’t do that on Saturday and it wasn’t a lack of pressure. The LSU moved him – something he can do. But instead of panicking and throwing prayers, he went over his progress and kept the chains moving.
That should be nothing. This is what Auburn’s offense is supposed to be.
Stove cooks on gas: Nothing was great on Saturday, but a big reason this offense got clicked was the work of the broad receiver Eli Stove. The quick senior had 16 catches and two transfers in play, but he was much more of a focus against the Tigers. Herd had five catches for 64 yards and three stretchers for 21 yards and was the undisputed catalyst for the orange-and-blue tigers.
In Malzahn everything revolves around eye candy. Stove’s ability to not only play with the ball in his hands but also to attract the attention of the defense made Nix’s job a lot easier than it was in previous games.
It’s surprising that it took so long to get him the focus. Malzahn consistently uses pre-engaging movement to keep the defense honest, and Stove has been around for five years. Sure, he had a knee injury two years ago. But it’s almost as if Malzahn has been shy and reluctant to put him in danger since his return.
Hearth is back … and he’s made that auburn offense scorching hot.
The Bo Pelini experiment does not work: The world of college football was shocked – in a good way – when LSU coach Ed Orgeron hired former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini to coordinate the defense after Dave Aranda left to coach Baylor. It will be shocking in the worst possible way when he has been employed by LSU for much longer.
I don’t care how many runs there are outside of defense. This is an LSU defense with LSU athletes and LSU strength and fitness. Under no circumstances should it be constantly lit like a Christmas tree.
I mean come on Derek Stingley, JaCoby Stevens and Todd Harris are still in this secondary school. You shouldn’t be incredibly confused. It’s on Pelini.
It couldn’t be Sunday and it couldn’t be next week. However, the likelihood of Pelini staying with LSU in 2021 is roughly as high as the 2020 return to normal.
Win in the trenches: Auburn’s front seven looked average at best for the first five games of the season, but it looked like Saturday’s old defense. There were seven tackles and four sacks, two of which were from linebacker Derick Hall. In addition, Defense Coordinator Kevin Steele has masterfully created pressure in a variety of ways and smelled noticeable when he smelled blood in the water.
That defense kept the LSU at 5 of 17 on third down conversions and prevented it from ever reaching the red zone.
Not only is this a great defense, it’s a championship level defense.
