Auburn lost a hard-fought battle against Louisiana State University 12-10, but the real story is how much better the Auburn Tigers' defense looked.
LSU ran the ball for 182 yards and passed it for 169, but were only able to score 10 points on offense. In fact, Auburn's defense gave up as many points as LSU's did, and the difference in the game was a safety against Auburn in the first quarter.
The Auburn defense looked like it belonged in the same league as LSU's and they proved it by allowing only a touchdown and a field goal.
T'Sharvan Bell, an Auburn defensive back, thought there were a lot of good things to take from the defensive performance against LSU.
"We played with a lot of passion," Bell said, "A lot of guys had fun competing out there tonight. We just came up a little short."
Bell also attributed the relative success of the defense to the coaching.
"Our defensive staff is literally stacked," Bell said "They put us in a position to make plays ... Coach (VanGorder) steered us in the right direction. We just have to finish."
The defense recovered two fumbles in the first half, one of which was in a goal line stand defensive formation. The second fumble, which was caused by defensive end Corey Lemonier, led to an Auburn touchdown.
"I think he played really hard," said head coach Gene Chizik, "He is going to have to continue to be a guy that steps up."
Even Les Miles, head coach of LSU, had good things to say of the Auburn defense.
"I think Auburn's defense is a good front," Miles said, "I think they're mobile, I think they're aggressive, I think they played physical football ... anytime you line up with this quality of an opponent, you're tested most."
LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger was 15 for 27 passing, and threw no touchdowns.
Though the defense gave up but a few points, it allowed the LSU rushing attack to rake in yardage.
"They ran the ball for (182) yards, which is disappointing," said defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, "I don't we executed all that well at times tonight, but there is no doubt that we played harder, and with more energy."
A lot of that energy came from the fans, who showed up in force to support Auburn against the division rivals.
"It was rocking," Bell said of Jordan-Hare Stadium, "The fans are going to come out and yell a lot at us and cheer the whole time, timeouts and everything. It was a great atmosphere. That's what you come to Auburn for."
The crowd played a large part in many of the third down situations, and there was a stretch in the middle of the game where the Auburn defense shut down the LSU offense nine times in a row on third down.
Though the Auburn coaching staff and players do not believe in moral victories, the loss, while difficult, will help the team build confidence as it moves forward.
"We are starting to gain a little confidence," Chizik said, "I am very proud of the defensive strides we made."
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