MONTGOMERY, Ala. – LSU will look to keep pace in the Southeastern Conference Western Division race on Saturday when the No. 17 Tigers travel to face Auburn in a key league contest at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Kickoff between LSU and Auburn is set for 5:01 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN with Mark Jones (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter) on the call.
The game will also be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network with the Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair, Doug Moreau (analyst) and Gordy Rush (sideline reporter) calling the action. The game can be heard in the Baton Rouge area on Eagle 98.1 FM or on the internet for free exclusively at www.LSUsports.net/live.
LSU enters the game riding a two-game winning streak, most recently posting a 23-20 win over Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium. Last week, LSU jumped out to a 23-3 halftime lead and then held off a fourth quarter Bulldog rally for the win.
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Auburn, in the midst of the five-game home stand to open the season, is 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league play. Last week, Auburn dropped a 29-16 decision to Texas A&M. Auburn opened the year with a 19-13 setback to Clemson and followed that with a 51-14 victory over Arkansas State.
Last year, LSU running back Leonard Fournette had one of the best game of his career, rushing 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-21 win over Auburn in Tiger Stadium. The two teams have split the last time meetings, but LSU has won four of the last five and eight out of 10 against Auburn going back to 2007.
When LSU has the ball…
LSU will rely on the running of Fournette, but the emergence of junior quarterback Danny Etling has allowed the Tiger offense to multi-dimensional the past two weeks. A week ago, Etling completed passes to seven different players, connecting with four wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end and a fullback in the win over Mississippi State.
Etling, who will get his first road start in an LSU uniform, completed 19-of-30 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown last week against the Bulldogs. Etling, a transfer from Purdue, has connected on 25-of-44 passes for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception since taking over at quarterback for Brandon Harris in the third offensive series against Jacksonville State in week 2.
One of the keys for LSU’s success on offense will be protecting the football and cutting down on the penalties. LSU hast lost three fumbles, two by running backs, during the first three games of the season.
Fournette, who sat out the Jacksonville State game with a sore ankle, has rushed for 285 yards and two TDs this year.
Auburn’s defense is coordinated by Kevin Steele, who served in the same role at LSU last year. Steele’s Auburn defense is allowing 20.7 points and 401.0 total yards per game (149.3 rushing, 251.7 passing). The Tigers feature defense that is allowing just 27.1 percent on third-down conversions, which ranks third in the SEC.
As a unit, Auburn has registered five sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 27 quarterback hurries.
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When Auburn has the ball….
The LSU defense will have to keep the Auburn running backs from running “downhill” as the Tigers feature two of the top runners in the SEC in Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway, who are both averaging over 90 yards rushing a contest. Johnson has scored four TDs to lead the Tigers.
Auburn will likely play two quarterbacks – Sean White and John Franklin III. White is the better passer of the two, throwing for 510 yards and three TDs during the first three games of the season. Franklin is the third leading rusher for Auburn with 117 on the ground, but he’s also completed 5-of-9 passes for 34 yards.
LSU will defend Auburn with an active defensive front, one that features the SEC sack leader in Arden Key (5.0 sacks) along with Davon Godchaux (17 tackles, 1.0 sack) and Lewis Neal (17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks).
As a unit, LSU is allowing 16.3 points a game and the Tigers are holding opponents to 325.7 total yards a contest (103.3 rushing, 222.3 passing). LSU’s defense has also been good at getting off the field, limiting opponents to convert just 24 percent of its third-down attempts (11-of-46).
What’s next….
LSU returns home to celebrate homecoming when Missouri comes to Tiger Stadium for the first time. Kickoff next week is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network. It will be just the second meeting between LSU and Missouri and the first between the teams since Mizzou joined the SEC.