By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE — LSU head football coach Brian Kelly has been looking for slivers of optimism that the worst defense in Tigers’ history through the first six games of a season was pulling out of its nosedive.
And maybe, just maybe, in the final 2½ quarters of LSU’s 49-39 win at Missouri last Saturday, he “started to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” as he said in his weekly media conference on Monday.
That narrow beam of hope was Missouri, like Ole Miss which beat LSU 55-49 on Sept. 30 and like Arkansas, which lost to LSU 34-31 on Sept. 23, finally stopped scoring on just about every possession.
When Missouri scored on its first three possessions for a 22-7 lead, LSU’s dazed and confused defense was on a streak in which it had given up 13 TDs and 5 field goals in its last 25 possessions.
Finally, when Tigers’ linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. intercepted a Missouri pass on the third play of Mizzou’s fourth possession followed by LSU’s offense cashing in the turnover for a touchdown, the bleeding stopped gushing.
Missouri scored two TDs and a field goal in last nine possessions and even threw a Pick-6 TD interception to safety Major Burns.
“We’ve got to get our defense to be much more in sync with what we’re doing offensively,” Kelly as his No. 22 Tigers prepare to host Auburn Saturday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. “I think we took a step in that direction. I’m not saying it’s a leap in any fashion, but we took a step and we need to continue to do that. The charge here is still playing complementary football with offense, defense and special teams.”
Offense, without a doubt, has been LSU’s savior.
LSU ranks third nationally in total offense averaging 548.3 yards and is fifth in scoring averaging 44.8 points. Tigers’ quarterback Jayden Daniels is second nationally in total offense averaging 398.5 yards, which is 21.5 more yards than LSU QB legend Joe Burrow averaged at this stage of his 2019 Heisman Trophy-winning season.
Daniels’ gutsy performance vs. Missouri – 259 passing yards and three TDs and 30 rushing yards and a TD despite being physically battered – earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors Monday for the third time this season. LSU tackle Emery Jones was honored as the league’s Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Though it appeared Daniels injured his ribs in the final period at Missouri, Kelly said he’s been cleared for practice.
“Our biggest concern was just (Daniels) overall soreness,” Kelly said. “He got hit a number of times. It was a physical game. But he checked out well yesterday. He was in this morning for his normal 5:30 film study and was with the trainers. He’ll be a full go for practice on Tuesday.”
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
No. 22 LSU (4-2 overall, 3-1 SEC West) vs. Auburn (3-2 overall, 0-2 SEC West), Tiger Stadium, Saturday, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
Last game for Auburn: Two weeks ago before an open date this past weekend, Auburn lost at home 27-20 to No. 1 Georgia when the Bulldogs scored the game-winning TD with 2:52 left. Auburn’s 219 rushing yards was the most Georgia has given up since 2016.
Series record and last meeting: LSU leads 32-24-1. Last season at Auburn, LSU won 21-17 by scoring 21 unanswered points. Tigers’ safety Greg Brooks Jr. clinched the win with an interception. Auburn badly outgained LSU 438 to 270 in total offense, but LSU forced four AU turnovers.
Auburn head coach: Hugh Freeze (106-49 in 13 seasons overall, 3-2 in first year at Auburn)
THIS AND THAT
Early betting line: LSU is favored by 11½ points
Number of Louisiana natives on Auburn roster: 6
Number of Alabama natives on LSU roster: 2
Number of transfers on Auburn roster from 4-year schools: 32 players from 27 schools including 18 players from 15 Power 5 Conference schools.
AUBURN PLAYERS TO WATCH
OFFENSE
QB Peyton Thorne (59 of 94 for 643 passing yards, 4 TDs, 4 interceptions and 198 rushing yards and two TDs on 45 carries), RB Jarquez Hunter (202 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 50 carries,) WR Jay Fair (18 catches for 196 yards and 2 TDs), FS Jaylin Simpson (15 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 interceptions), DT Marcus Harris (19 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks), PK and KO Alex McPherson (5 for 5 FG, 18 of 18 extra points, 29 kickoffs for 63.3 yards per kick, 11 touchbacks), P Oscar Chapman (22 punts for 42.8 ypk, 9 inside the 20, 9 fair catches 5 for 50-yards plus), KR Brian Battie (11 for 281 yards), PR Keionte Scott (4 for 77 yards)
POP QUIZ
1. What did LSU do in its 1969 21-20 win over Auburn that it never did before and hadn’t done since?
A. Throw a halfback pass for a TD on LSU’s first offensive play
B. Return an onside kick for a TD
C. Dropkick a 35-yard field goal
D. Return an interception for a TD
2. What is Auburn’s battle cry?
A. War Weasel
B. War Weevil
C. War Beagle
D. War Eagle
3. What job did Ralph “Shug” Jordan hold immediately prior to becoming Auburn’s head football coach in 1951?
A. He was Auburn’s head basketball coach and an assistant football coach
B. He was Georgia’s head basketball coach and an assistant football coach
C. He was Alabama’s head basketball coach and an assistant football coach
D. He was Florida’s head track and field coach and an assistant football coach
ANSWERS 1. A 2. D 3. B
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com