ending road losing streak at LSU

[aubiefifty 18,231]

247sports.com

 

Can Auburn end its football road losing streak at Tiger Stadium this year?

ByMark Murphy

5-7 minutes

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Auburn's Ryan Bliss talks 2nd round selection by Arizona.

 

Can this be the year that Auburn returns from Baton Rouge with a football victory at Tiger Stadium for the first time since the 1999 season? Auburn’s new head coach, Bryan Harsin, will make his SEC debut on Oct. 2nd at LSU, facing a team that slumped to 5-5 last season following an undefeated, national championship run in 2019.

The last Auburn coach to win a game in Tiger Stadium was Tommy Tuberville, who in his first season at AU saw his team cruise to a 41-7 victory. Since that happened Auburn has lost to the Bayou Bengals on 10 consecutive trips to Baton Rouge.

Tuberville’s teams were 1-4 at Tiger Stadium. Coach Gene Chizik’s Auburn teams posted an 0-2 record at LSU and Gus Malzahn’s teams finished 0-4 in Baton Rouge, including a three-point setback in Auburn’s previous trip to LSU and a four-point loss in the road trip prior to that.

Awaiting this season will be one of the SEC’s most experienced teams with LSU returning nine starters on offense and nine on defense. However, Auburn returns majority of the starters from last season’s team that whipped LSU 48-11 with Bo Nix passing for 300 yards and rushing for 81 more.

Ed Orgeron, who owns a 45-14 record as head coach at LSU since taking over as interim coach in 2016, said at SEC Football Media Days on Monday that he has high expectations for his 2021 team.

“Maybe last year we weren’t as hungry as we needed to be,” Orgeron said. “I think last year is a thing of the past...I do think you will see the Tigers have a very good football team.”

One of LSU’s key returning starters, offensive tackle Austin Deculus, said on Monday to expect a “very energetic offense” from the Bayou Bengals that will remind fans of LSU’s 2019 squad. Deculus said the theme heading into preseason practice has been “coming together as a team.”

Austin Deculus answers questions on Monday at SEC Football Media Days. (Photo: Southeastern Conference, 247Sports)

LSU’s offense averaged a healthy 32 points per game in 2020, but gave up an unhealthy average of 34.9 points per contest while surrendering an average of 492 yards per game. Orgeron hired Daronte Jones, previously defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings, to do something about the defensive struggles.

Defensive back Derek Stingley, Jr., said on Monday that the chemistry has improved with a new coordinator on board. “On the defensive side of the ball when Coach Jones walks into the room he gives us energy,” Stingley pointed out. “As a group from the front line to the secondary, we are all hanging out outside of football and interacting more. It is showing on the field and it is going to show this fall.”

QB Battle: Redshirt senior Myles Brennan and sophomore Max Johnson are competing to be the starting quarterback. “In my opinion it is dead even going into camp,” Orgeron said.

“Look at the work Myles Brennan did the way he started the season and the success he had as far as yardage, it wasn’t his fault that we lost the games. There is no question about that and then he got hurt.” Brennan became the first player in LSU history to throw for at least 300 yards in his first three starts. He hit 79-131 passes for 1,112 yards last season.

T.J. Finley started five games, including the loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium, before giving way to Johnson, who was 2-0 as the starter. Finley transferred to Auburn following spring drills.

Johnson completed 88-150 passes for 1,069 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception while playing as a backup in four games and the starter in the final two contests.

“You look at the way that Max kept on fighting, just kept on competing and just waited his turn like so many players at LSU,” Orgeron said. “Then his turn comes against Florida in The Swamp, a 27-point underdog, and he wins that game. We come back and we beat a very good Ole Miss team and he did some tremendous things in that football game.”

Bad Days (and nights) in Baton Rouge: Auburn’s all-time record at Tiger Stadium is 5-19-1. Here are the scores of the games in Baton Rouge since Auburn’s last victory at Tiger Stadium.

2001–LSU 27-15

2003–LSU 31-7

2005–LSU 20-17

2007–LSU 30-24

2009–LSU 31-10

2011–LSU 45-10

2013–LSU 35-21

2015–LSU 45-21

2017–LSU 27-23

2019–LSU 23-20

Hot on the Bayou: LSU already has 15 commitments for 2022 class and is the top-ranked SEC team in the current 247Sports ratings. Orgeron said last season’s 5-5 record has not had a negative impact on recruiting and that the 2019 championship season is fresh on the minds of recruits, especially prospects from the state of Louisiana.

31COMMENTS

[Win4AU 4,182]

If Harsin can go into Baton Rogue and end the streak he will earn a lot of goodwill real quick.  Penn State is fun but LSU is the road game that matters

[aubiefifty 18,231]

2 hours ago, Win4AU said:

If Harsin can go into Baton Rogue and end the streak he will earn a lot of goodwill real quick.  Penn State is fun but LSU is the road game that matters

i do not care much franklin. he won a game a while back and some kids gateraided him and accidentally bumped his glasses and he got super pissed and ran after those guys just leaving the reporter standing there. and franklin had murder in his eye. it is probably nothing but it was not a goood look to me.

[AuburnEagle79 2,188]

3 hours ago, Win4AU said:

If Harsin can go into Baton Rogue and end the streak he will earn a lot of goodwill real quick.  Penn State is fun but LSU is the road game that matters

I really think we will win one of these two games. Heck, winning at Penn St might give us the momentum we need to go into Baton Rogue and win. 

[Win4AU 4,182]

16 minutes ago, AuburnEagle79 said:

I really think we will win one of these two games. Heck, winning at Penn St might give us the momentum we need to go into Baton Rogue and win. 

Penn State will definitely help get the team ready for Tiger Stadium.  

[DAG 34,754]

This will be the year to do it.

[W.E.D 11,071]

We're cursed in that stadium.  Smoking that cigar put some bad Voodoo on us.

We need to make some sacrifice to the Cajun Gods.  Until that happens, we'll continue to lose.  

[steeleagle 2,945]

We can win and will win, if our QB can be better than the last 2 years and in a much more efficient and diverse offense, AND he can exorcise his demons of playing poorly on the road.

[AuburnEagle79 2,188]

22 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

We can win and will win, if our QB can be better than the last 2 years and in a much more efficient and diverse offense, AND he can exorcise his demons of playing poorly on the road.

I agree. I never thought I'd ever say this, but we need to be a lot more like UGA/Early Saban Bama as far as QB play goes. Play smart, play sound, and don't cost us the game. 

If we ever get Tank rolling and then the play action game takes off...watch out. 

[keesler 5,957]

Damn Deculus is a big man. 

[johnnyAU 3,745]

I don't forgive Gus yet for that ridiculous 2017 loss.

[IronMan70 3,322]

I have a gut feeling that yes we will, of course that could just be an upset stomach but still.

[IronMan70 3,322]

3 minutes ago, johnnyAU said:

I don't forgive Gus yet for that ridiculous 2017 loss.

Yep, #1 on my list is the 2013 NC game vs FSU with that 2017 LSU game #2.

[johnnyAU 3,745]

3 minutes ago, IronMan70 said:

Yep, #1 on my list is the 2013 NC game vs FSU with that 2017 LSU game #2.

True. And not far down the list at #3 sits the 2016 loss to a crappy UGA team that squeaked by at home against Nicholls State 26-24. 

[clwn 336]

I've pretty much given up on ending this streak. The 2005 let's forget how to make a FG game, the 2007 throw it up TD at the end to the 2017 and 2019 chokes mixed with some stench of politics... I rather just end the Sanford Stadium one. Haven't beat those FUGLY bastards between the hedges since 2005.

That said, if Harsin manages to win the LSU game. Name something after him please lol.

[milehighfan 1,251]

18 hours ago, Win4AU said:

If Harsin can go into Baton Rogue and end the streak he will earn a lot of goodwill real quick.  Penn State is fun but LSU is the road game that matters

They all matter. But yeah, your right.

[woodford 3,732]

17 hours ago, johnnyAU said:

I don't forgive Gus yet for that ridiculous 2017 loss.

I was having a good morning until this. 
 

What was with that guy and blowing 18-21 point leads? That game and the NCG. 

[bigbird 60,939]

On 7/20/2021 at 6:31 AM, aubiefifty said:

 

2017–LSU 27-23

 

[augolf1716 21,969]

19 minutes ago, bigbird said:

The wrong yellow bird under the axe

[aubiefifty 18,231]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

what ya pickin on me for feather boy?

[bigbird 60,939]

Just now, aubiefifty said:

what ya pickin on me for feather boy?

Who's picking on you?

[aubiefifty 18,231]

8 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Who's picking on you?

how big a darn boy are you? i will turn you into a feather duster and send you down to tampa to clean up golfs messes...................

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,046]

I think they should lose but it’s close enough to where either result wouldn’t surprise me

I don’t even take anything away from last year other than that air raid pass heavy offense still works, scheme wise. Just gotta refuel the OL and RBs

[augolf1716 21,969]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

how big a darn boy are you? i will turn you into a feather duster and send you down to tampa to clean up golfs messes...................

That would be Winter Park fifty

[Viper 3,501]

On 7/20/2021 at 11:54 AM, DAG said:

This will be the year to do it.

2017 was. The only way you win in that stadium is jump on them quick and big. We did. We were a FAR better team. Out of all the games there, next to 1988, that one hurts the most.