Auburn walked into Death Valley last Saturday with the thought of pulling off something that has not been done in 22 years -- a win. A win is what it walked out with after a thrilling game. Here is what all went into pulling out the victory on this week's version of Film Room.
Offense
What more can be said about this rabbit Bo Nix pulled out of his helmet? On fourth-and-2, Auburn came out with three tight ends and LSU responded by putting nine defenders near the line of scrimmage, anticipating a run. What originally was a designed rollout pass to Tyler Fromm turned into improv for the ages, after LSU brought two off the edge and forced Nix to reverse course. After missed tackles and a scramble drill, Nix hit Fromm in the end zone. Auburn then found themselves down 13-7 minutes after nearly going down 17-0.
Auburn was faced with a third-and-10 and backed up against its own end zone. Nix steps back, receiving good protection from the offensive line. He checks down two receivers before dumping the ball off to Shaun Shivers. Shivers juggles the ball a little before making the first defender miss with a shifty sidestep. Shivers rushes forward for a crucial first down before being tackled at the Auburn 24-yard line.
Facing fourth-and-2 again and trailing 13-7 with 1:07 before halftime, Auburn opted to spread the field out with three receivers and a tight end. Initially, John Samuel Shenker and Kobe Hudson ran slant routes to give Bo Nix an easy completion to keep the drive alive. However, LSU played aggressive man coverage and the scramble drill came into effect again after Nix was unable to initially find an open receiver. Following another scramble, Nix was able to find Demetris Robertson towards the middle of the field on a throw that got Auburn in field goal range. The eventual field goal made it 13-10 at the half.
With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Auburn faced a crucial third down. Once again, Auburn utilizes Shivers' shiftiness in open space by dumping the ball to him. Shivers gets the corner, picks up the first down and extends the drive. Crucial distractions are made by Auburn tight ends and receivers to get Shivers into a one-on-one scenario.
With Auburn down 19-17 with less than six minutes left in the game, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo called a toss sweep into the boundary with Jarquez Hunter in at running back. Post-snap motion away from the point of attack by Demetris Robertson and Shedrick Jackson caused just enough hesitation from LSU linebackers Damone Clark and Micah Baskerville, which allowed the running lane to open nicely. Add in Austin Troxell’s crucial block on the edge, and Hunter was able to break away for a pivotal 44-yard run on what proved to be the game-winning drive.
After a near touchdown run by Hunter, Auburn lines up to punch in a touchdown that gave it the first lead of the game and put them in a chance to win the game. Nix lines up in the I-formation which is something the Auburn fanbase has come accustomed to under Harsin. The offensive line does a good job of holding off the pressure while Hunter bolts for the goal line for the score.
Defense
At this point in the game, Auburn’s defense had played a soft zone coverage torched to the tune of 201 passing yards. Facing a crucial third-and-4 attempt at the LSU 6-yard line, defensive coordinator Derek Mason utilized a more aggressive press-man coverage that caused LSU’s receivers to come back to the ball to secure the catch. Kayshon Boutte ran his route into the end zone, but Bydarrius Knighten’s immediate presence forced him back to the 3-yard line and just shy of securing first-and-goal. Football is a game of inches and Coach Mason’s call to deploy press man coverage here forced LSU into a field goal and kept the game at a more manageable margin.
Faced with a crucial goal line third down, Auburn lines up with three linemen, three linebackers and the rest back. This was common throughout the game to keep LSU's passing attack in front of them. Max Johnson from the beginning locks in on his target Deion Smith but Roger McCreary has him locked down. McCreary does a good job of keeping Smith in front of him then knocking it away at the last second.
Towards the end of the third quarter up by six, LSU faced a third-and-16 at Auburn’s 29-yard line. Mason rushed only four and used Zakoby McClain to spy LSU QB Max Johnson, which prevented him from getting cheap yards with his legs. With most defensive backs keeping routes in front of them at the 13-yard line, Eku Leota did an excellent job of not getting too far upfield while keeping Johnson contained. He was rewarded with a pivotal sack that forced LSU to kick a 51-yard field goal. While it wasn’t nearly as important as Bydarrius Knighten’s third-down tackle on Boutte, keeping the game close was still crucial to victory.
Auburn faced a fourth-and-6 that ended the game with a stop. The defense rushes four, getting pressure on Max Johnson as he escapes to the outside. This forces Johnson to throw the pass leaning back on his back foot as Derick Hall and Eku Leota rush in for the tackle. This causes the ball to fly over the head of receiver Jay Ward and right into the hands of Auburn's Knighten, effectively ending the 22-year win drought in Death Valley.
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