With uncertainty at the quarterback position compounded by a rare home loss to Mississippi State, LSU currently sits in an unfamiliar position: As an underdog to Auburn.
According to Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, however, these Bayou Bengals don't look much different than the championship LSU teams of the past.
"You can turn the film on and, if you didn't know year from year, they look like the same old LSU team," Malzahn said. "They're flying around and they have a lot of talent."
Les Miles and LSU are the opening act of a six game stretch that features five ranked teams, a daunting task even for the reigning SEC Champions.
"We're about to start the meet of our schedule facing a very talented, very good LSU team," Malzahn said. "They have a good mix of veterans along with some extremely talented freshmen."
A loss to Mississippi State two weeks ago dropped LSU from the top ten and raised defensive questions after Bulldog quarterback Dak Prescott carved up LSU's defense for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
But Malzahn said he is convinced performance isn't indicative of LSU's overall defensive strength.
"It really looks like the same old LSU defense to me," Malzahn said. "They don't give you a lot of cheap ones. They make you earn everything."
Malzahn's lone regular season loss at Auburn came at the hands of Miles in 2013, something the second-year head coach said was a motivating factor for his team.
"That was one of the defining moments of our year last year," Malzahn said. "We got embarrassed in the first half. They got after and not a whole lot was good on offense, defense or special teams."
While Malzahn said the loss motivated his team last year, he also said that motivation comes from many other places and that last year's result hasn't changed his preparation for this year's game.
"You are motivated big picture wise, but as far as your opponent, you can't get any more motivated than you already are," Malzahn said. "You use stuff to motivate you during the course of the year, but as far as game week, everyone is going to be motivated to play their best."
Senior center Reese Dismukes agreed with his head coach, but said he couldn't help feeling some extra motivation due to LSU's recent success over Auburn.
"Obviously in the back of your mind that's the only team in the SEC that I haven't beaten," Dismukes said. "That'd be nice, but it's not about that. It's about being 5-0 and doing whatever you got to do to help this team win."
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