No. 9 Auburn heads to Baton Rouge this weekend looking to end a 20-year losing streak in Death Valley against No. 2 LSU. LSU leads the all-time series against Auburn by a margin of 30-22-1.
The series has been close between the two schools, ten of the last 15 matchups have been decided by seven points or less.
Players to watch:
Boobee Whitlow:
Auburn’s star running back has been recovering from knee surgery after sustaining the injury late in the game against Florida. Two weeks ago, head coach Gus Malzahn told reporters that the sophomore would miss four to six weeks with the earliest return to be against Georgia.
According to a 247sports’ Brandon Marcello, Whitlow has been cleared to play and will travel with the team on Friday to Baton Rouge. Whitlow prior to the injury had been Auburn’s lead back rushing for a team leading 544 yards and seven touchdowns on 110 attempts.
Against Arkansas, last weekend Auburn used mainly tailbacks Kam Martin and D.J. Williams who rushed for a combined 132 yards on 21 attempts.
Anthony Schwartz:
A change in field position helped not only the man called “Flash” but also the Auburn offense has a whole. Last weekend against Arkansas, Schwartz was moved on the field to where both Williams and Schwartz could see snaps at the same time.
Before the two receivers occupied the same spot on the field resulting in them subbing out for each other. The change worked well against Arkansas resulting in Schwartz having 6 receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown and Williams having 4 catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Auburn’s Secondary:
Through seven games, LSU is averaging 385.7 passing yards a game. While Auburn’s defense has been giving up 224.7 passing yards per game. The point is that Auburn’s defense against the pass has been a matchup that teams have looked to exploit this season.
Auburn’s defense has given up 10 passing touchdowns on the season and forced only three interceptions. These 10 passing touchdowns allowed include a four-game streak from Kent State to Florida where Auburn gave up two passing touchdowns and no interceptions in each game.
Joe Burrow:
Quarterback Joe Burrow has helped completely transform the LSU offense this season along with first year passing game coordinator Joe Brady. Burrow has thrown for 2,484 yards and 29 touchdowns through LSU’s first seven games.
The Heisman hopeful has set numerous school records through the first seven games. He set the school record for touchdown passes in a game with six against Vanderbilt and he helped lead LSU to a school record of most points scored in regulation of an SEC game with 66 against Vanderbilt. Burrow’s previously mentioned 29 touchdown passes and counting are a program record as well.
Grant Delpit/Derek Stingley Jr:
Junior defensive back Grant Delpit is one of LSU’s defensive leaders. The 2018 All-SEC First Team member has a fumble recovery, interception and four pass deflections on the season. Delpit was recently named as a First Team Associated Press Midseason All-American.
Delpit makes up a tough secondary with freshman defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. Stingley not only joins Delpit in the LSU secondary, but also as a member on the First Team of the Associated Press’s Midseason All-American’s.
The freshman defensive back has been targeted 41 times in 2019 and has only allowed 19 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the SEC in passes defended with 12 and is second in the SEC with three interceptions.
Justin Jefferson:
Just like how Bo Nix’s favorite receiving target is Seth Williams, Justin Jefferson seems to be Burrow’s. Burrow and Jefferson have linked up for a combined 15 touchdowns over the course of their careers. The pair had six touchdowns in 2018 and currently have nine in 2019.
Jefferson this season has 48 receptions for 759 yards and nine touchdowns. He leads the team in both receiving yards and receptions.
Keys to Victory:
LSU:
- Continue the offensive production
LSU’s offense has been wildly successful this season and is averaging 50.1 points through seven games. Auburn on the other hand is averaging 36.3 points a game. If LSU can keep up their offensive production that they have had this season, Auburn could struggle in a shootout on the road and with a freshman quarterback.
Auburn:
- Offense cannot stall on drives
Auburn’s offense has struggled for long stretches of times during games this season. Auburn’s rushing yards in the second quarter drop drastically compared to the first, third and fourth. Auburn has a combined total of 199 rushing yards in the second quarter through seven games. Compared to the first, third and fourth quarters where Auburn has a combined 500, 460 and 518 through seven games respectively.
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