No. 2 LSU, No. 9 Auburn renew high-drama, high-stakes rivalry
BATON ROUGE, LA. (AP) >> Ed Orgeron doesn’t have to think long or hard to express what he expects when No. 2 LSU hosts No. 9 Auburn on Saturday.
After a youth spent in south Louisiana, rooting for his home state Tigers against a historical Southeastern Conference rival with the same mascot; after his experience as an LSU coach, competing with Auburn’s staff for prized prospects; and after experiencing three thrilling match-ups in the past three seasons, Orgeron has a handle on it.
“We know a lot about them. They know a lot about us. It’s going to be a war,” Orgeron said. “A lot of those guys (at Auburn), we recruited. A lot of our recruits, they recruited.”
LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC) is favored by more than a touchdown, and that sounds about right to its quarterback, Joe Burrow, who has led an offense averaging 50.1 points per game this season.
“This is the third top-10 team we’ve played,” Burrow said, alluding to victories earlier this season against Texas and Florida . “Going back to last year, we have a lot of guys who have played in a lot of meaningful football games. They do too. Both teams are battle tested. It’s going to be a fun game.”
Burrow’s first big moment for LSU came at Auburn last season, when he led a comeback victory that was capped by Cole Tracy’s field goal as time expired.
In 2017, Orgeron enjoyed one of the top early highlights in his first season as LSU’s permanent head coach against Auburn. LSU trailed 20-0 before storming back to win 27-23 .
And LSU’s visit to Auburn in 2016 precipitated Orgeron’s elevation from defensive assistant to interim head coach — after a wild ending. LSU thought it had won on a touchdown pass from Danny Etling to D.J. Chark as time expired, and began celebrating wildly, initially unaware that officials had ruled the clock hit zero a moment before the snap. Auburn’s 18-13 victory was preserved and then-head coach Les Miles was fired a day later .
This season, Auburn (61, 3-1) generally has looked strong on both sides of the ball except for two weeks ago at Florida , where freshman quarterback Bo Nix was intercepted three times.
Still, Auburn has arguably the best defensive line —led by Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson — that LSU will have faced this season.
Auburn is allowing about an average of 17 points and has yet to give up more than 24 in a game this season.
Auburn also comes in with a sense of urgency, knowing that with one more loss, it loses control of its ability to win the SEC West without help.
When asked if Auburn had to win Saturday, Davidson responded, “Yes, of course.” MUTUAL RESPECT Auburn coach Gus Malzahn has gushed about Burrow’s improvement this year.
“When they throw it down the field, they are pretty accurate. They aren’t throwing just to take shots. They usually make you pay,” Malzahn said. “Joe Burrow is very accurate and his timing with his receivers is really impressive.”
Burrow said he remembers being struck as a high school player by Malzahn’s offensive creativity and has enjoyed watching his teams ever since.
“He always has something up his sleeve,” Burrow said. “I’m excited to playing somebody like that.”