Of the SEC's many storied rivalries, few have been as hard-nosed and physical as the Auburn-LSU series has been for much of the century. That was no different this time around in Auburn's 18-13 win.
Just ask Auburn safety Nick Ruffin.
“I'm definitely sore," Ruffin said. "I’m a little sore and a lot of us are definitely a little sore, but we’re sore in the best way possible.”
Ruffin started against LSU and recorded two tackles. One year after a humiliating 45-21 defeat in Baton Rouge, Ruffin and the Tigers knew how physical their opponent would be.
“For us, it’s kind of a gauge to see where we are physically as a defense and even mentally," Ruffin said. "Just stepping on the field with obviously Leonard Fournette, and they’re very, very big in size, so obviously very physical."
This time, Auburn's defense stepped up to the challenge. The Tigers not only held their own against a talented, physical offense, but they frustrated quarterback Danny Etling all night.
If this game was supposed to serve as a gauge for the defense, they like the result.
"For us to play as well as we did as a defense, it kind of gives us a good gauge going forward," Ruffin said. "Like, ‘Hey, we can play in that kind of game.’”
Ruffin believes the defense's tenacious attitude starts at the top with defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Steele's aggressive game plan made life miserable for LSU's struggling offense, and even on their final drive, they felt the heat.
“He’s not afraid, and for us that gives us confidence too," Ruffin said. "As a defense you feel kind of more concerned when you have a coach that’s very, very conservative and you kind of feel like they don’t really have confidence in you, but as a secondary, more specifically, when your coach is dialing up full blitzes and leaving you man to man, he’s saying ‘I have full confidence that you can cover any receiver in the country.’”
After such a physical and emotional game, surely Auburn's players would get Sunday off to rest, right? Well, not exactly.
"We still had practice," Ruffin said. "All of us are still out there, still flying around. Maybe the soreness hasn’t fully set in for us yet.”
That's just the way things go in the rough and tumble SEC.
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