Are we prepared for lsu

[aubiefifty 18,222]

AL.com All-Access: Can Auburn handle Baton Rouge better than it did Gainesville?

Today 9:45 AM

3-4 minutes

Sports

After Auburn lost 24-13 to Florida in Gainesville three weeks ago, fans and analysts alike were quick to point out that the Tigers still controlled their own destiny. That is, they could still win the SEC West, the SEC championship and even if the national championship if they won out.

That’s absolutely true. A 13-1 SEC champion would be a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff.

But the Florida loss did two things:

1. It reduced Auburn’s margin-for-error to virtually zero. A second loss almost certainly means the Tigers are out of the race for any sort of championship in 2019.

2. It exposed some weaknesses for the Tigers that are sure to be exploited by future opponents, perhaps beginning with Saturday’s game at No. 2 LSU.

From a statistical standpoint, LSU is the best offensive team in the SEC this season. Joe Burrow and the Tigers average 539.9 yards per game (385.7 of that through the air) and 50.1 points per game.

And it’s not as if LSU has beaten up on weak competition. The Tigers rolled up 471 yards and 45 points against No. 15 Texas. They posted 601 yards and 42 points on Utah State (whose only other loss was by 3 points to 6-1 Wake Forest).

And most importantly, LSU laid 42 points and 511 yards on Florida, the team that held Auburn to 13 points and 269 yards of offense.

It’s not a good omen for freshman quarterback Bo Nix to be headed into Death Valley just three weeks after performing so poorly in the Swamp. Nix will have to play a near-perfect game for Auburn to put up enough points to outscore an LSU team that is playing with machine-like efficiency right now.

There’s also this myth that LSU is not a good defensive team, probably because the Tigers gave up 38 points to Vanderbilt a few week ago (in a game they won 66-38). First off, two of the Commodores’ touchdowns came on defense, so it was really more like 24 points.

Secondly, LSU led 45-17 after one play in the second half and 59-24 midway through the third quarter. The game was never in doubt.

If you look at the NCAA total defense rankings, LSU is No. 24 (319.4 yards per game). The No. 23 team? Auburn, which is widely regarded as a very good defensive team.

LSU ranks 10th nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of just 93.4 yards per game. As we know, Auburn is highly dependent on its running game.

So how exactly does any of this add up to an Auburn win? It’s a hard one to figure, particularly with the way Gus Malzahn’s team has folded against Ed Orgeron’s bunch the last two seasons.

So what do you think? Does Auburn have a prayer in Baton Rouge on Saturday?

I’ll take your questions and comments on that or anything else on your mind beginning at 10 a.m.

[bdc81 90]

Did we practice in the rain in pre season camp or use a wet ball as in 2013?

Little doc

[Linayus 676]

Everyone wants to talk about that Texas game like Texas is a great team. Nope, they're mediocre at best on defense (giving up 30+ points/game and a lot of yardage) but they have a pretty good offense to keep them in those games. And Utah State? C'mon man!

LSU's run defense has also been helped out by their offense scoring early so teams are having to abandon the run way more often to try and play catch up. But I guess pointing that out doesn't make for a good story as practically no one has even alluded to the correlation there.

Basically - if we can find a way to slow down LSU's offense and get them out of their comfort zone, we can win this game. LSU's defense is not as good as Florida's and Bo Nix won't be throwing 3 INTs this time.

I'm not saying we do pull off the win - but it won't be the blow out many are expecting either. If it's more than a one TD margin, I'd be surprised.

[BJCrawford 1,568]

1 hour ago, Linayus said:

Everyone wants to talk about that Texas game like Texas is a great team. Nope, they're mediocre at best on defense (giving up 30+ points/game and a lot of yardage) but they have a pretty good offense to keep them in those games. And Utah State? C'mon man!

LSU's run defense has also been helped out by their offense scoring early so teams are having to abandon the run way more often to try and play catch up. But I guess pointing that out doesn't make for a good story as practically no one has even alluded to the correlation there.

Basically - if we can find a way to slow down LSU's offense and get them out of their comfort zone, we can win this game. LSU's defense is not as good as Florida's and Bo Nix won't be throwing 3 INTs this time.

I'm not saying we do pull off the win - but it won't be the blow out many are expecting either. If it's more than a one TD margin, I'd be surprised.

Oh how I hope you are correct. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check.....

[Linayus 676]

1 hour ago, BJCrawford said:

Oh how I hope you are correct. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check.....

Me too. lol We know all too well how one missed tackle can kill our chances in a game so we really do have to play very good football to win this.