Zach Mettenberger, welcome to the SEC.
Questions surrounded the No. 2 LSU quarterback's ability going into his first SEC and road game as a starter, and, after two quarters, those questions got louder.
With thirty minutes of play under his belt, Mettenberger has put up solid numbers, throwing 9-for-11 with 69 yards.
Oh yeah, and two fumbles.
Auburn's shaky defense has shown major improvement, putting pressure on the inexperienced quarterback to force turnovers at key moments.
The first came midway through the first quarter at the Auburn 2-yard line. Junior defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker blasted his was through LSU's defense, taking Mettenberger with him.
The Bayou Bengal gift quickly went sour when defensive end Sam Montgomery found Tre Mason in the end zone for an LSU safety. The safety was the first against Auburn since 2008 against Mississippi State.
LSU pushed the lead to nine on the next drive, thanks to a 2-yard waltz into the in-zone by running back Michael Ford.
Four minutes later, Auburn responded.
With 1:02 left in the quarter, Mettenberger recorded his second fumble at the hands of junior defensive end Corey Lemonier, the seventh forced fumble of his career. Sophomore defensive lineman Angelo Blackson recovered the football at the LSU 26 to put the Tigers in scoring position.
Three downs later, it was 9-6. Cody Parkey sailed the PAT attempt through the uprights, making it a two point game.
The only points of the second quarter came with 1:21 remaining. Parkey's 40-yard rocket put Auburn on top for the first time in the game, 10-9. The kick was Parkey's ninth consecutive, the longest Auburn streak since Wes Byrum in 2009-2010.
Auburn closed the half with 88 yards on 24 plays, nearly 100 yards less than LSU who collected 103 rushing yards and 78 yards through the air.
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