Photo: USA Today
Auburn journeyed into the Bayou on Saturday night knowing that it had not won there since 1999. LSU was eager to prove that they belonged among the elite of college football and Auburn was eager to prove that the last two years' were behind them.
LSU came out and looked dominant in the sloppy weather as they took a 21-0 lead into half-time. Jeremy Hill had two first half TDs (on runs of 10 and 49 yards) and J.C. Copeland also had a one yard TD run. Auburn looked shell shocked in the first half. They had 8 drives with 3 of them ending in turnovers, four ending in punts and one ending in a turnover on downs. The longest drive Auburn had in the first half was just 32 yards.
At half-time I wondered if this Auburn team was different from the last two. Those two teams flat out quit on their coach when the going got tough. Would they do the same thing after they got down against the LSU? The answer was no as Auburn fought back. Auburn QB Nick Marshall settled down in the second half and hit a couple of nice deep balls and led Auburn to 21 second half points. It wasn't enough to overcome LSU as Les Miles team won 35-21 but it was a step in the right direction for Auburn.
All I heard all week long was how "improved" Zach Mettenberger was coming into the game and he did look better under the tutelage of new Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. But, what I really saw was that Jarvis Landry has come of age and he is playing better than ever. Landry led the Tigers in receptions with 7 and totaled 118 yards and a TD. Teamed with Odell Beckham, the Tigers might have the best 1-2 receiving punch in the conference and that gives them a weapon they haven't had in the recent past.
What's next for Auburn: At 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the SEC, the Auburn Tigers have a bye next week. On Oct 5th they have a very important game as Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss come to town.
What's next for LSU: Next week, LSU and ESPN's College GameDay head to Athens in the premier match-up (in what looks like a solid slate of games) in week five of the college football season.
