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Football Hosts No. 10 Auburn in Annual 'Gold Game'Football Hosts No. 10 Auburn in Annual 'Gold Game'

Football Hosts No. 10 Auburn in Annual 'Gold Game'

Football Hosts No. 10 Auburn in Annual ‘Gold Game’

BATON ROUGE – Last week, with its back against a wall, LSU responded and played its best football of the season in a 17-16 win over Florida in Gainesville. The Tigers will have a chance to make an even bigger statement on Saturday when LSU hosts 10th-ranked Auburn in Tiger Stadium in what will be the biggest game in the Southeastern Conference this week.

It’s the “Gold Game” on Saturday as fans are encouraged to wear gold for the afternoon tilt in Tiger Stadium. LSU will also honor its 2007 National Championship Team at halftime as more than 70 members from that squad, including all five team captains – Matt Flynn, Jacob Hester, Glenn Dorsey, Craig Steltz and Patrick Fisher – along with head coach Les Miles, will be on hand.

Kickoff for LSU (4-2, 1-1 in SEC) and Auburn (5-1, 3-0 in SEC) is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on CBS Sports with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Allie LaForce on the call.

The LSU Sports Radio Network, featuring the Voice of the Tiger Chris Blair, Doug Moreau and Gordy Rush, will have the radio broadcast of the game. The game can be heard in the Baton Rouge area on Eagle 98.1 FM or for free on the internet at www.LSUsports.net/live. 

A limited number of tickets are still available – including some in the popular Skyline Club – for LSU’s biggest home game to date and can be purchased online at www.LSUtix.net. 

“We had a good week of preparation,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “It wasn’t perfect by any means, but I think the guys have the mindset that we’re ready to go to battle Saturday. We know this will be a tough opponent. We know that they start their games very fast. They have beat some SEC opponents very handily, and we have a lot of respect for them. We’ll be ready to go.”

LSU brings an eight-game winning streak over Auburn in games played in Tiger Stadium into the contest. Auburn’s last win in Tiger Stadium came in 1999. Since then, LSU has posted double-digit victories over Auburn in six of those eight meetings in Death Valley, including a 45-21 win the last time the teams met in Tiger Stadium in 2015.

A year ago, LSU looked to have pulled off a last-second road win over Auburn, however the apparent game-winning touchdown pass from Danny Etling to DJ Chark was overturned as video replay showed the Tigers didn’t get the snap off before time expired. Auburn was limited to six field goals in the win 18-13 win last season.

Auburn, which features a fast-paced offense, comes into the game averaging 35.8 points and 452.7 total yards per game with new quarterback Jarrett Stidham – a Baylor transfer – calling the shots. Running back Kerryon Johnson leads the SEC with 126.0 yards per game as he’s rushed for 504 yards and a league-best 12 TDs in four games.

“He has escape ability,” Orgeron said of the Auburn quarterback. “He will get out of the pocket to run and to throw. We have to keep him in the pocket and not give him any lanes. He’s a smart quarterback so we need to stay in our rush lanes and stay very disciplined at what we do.”

LSU’s defense, which limited Florida to 302 total yards last week, will get a boost Saturday as senior defensive lineman Frank Herron returns to action after missing the first six games of the season. Herron, one of LSU’s most experienced defenders, can play either inside or defensive end for the Tigers.

Sophomore linebacker Devin White continues to lead the SEC in tackles with 10.2 per game and 62 for the season. White earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after registering 13 tackles and sack last week against Florida and will be one of the keys to slowing down the Auburn running game, in particular Johnson.

“I think the advantage he has is when he gets past the line of scrimmage,” Orgeron said of the SEC’s top rusher. “It’s hard for a defensive back to tackle him one-on-one. So, our big men have to tackle as do our linebackers. We have to gang-tackle. He rarely goes down after the first hit. We’re going to have to stay after him.”

Defensively, LSU is allowing 308.8 total yards and 18.8 points per game – both rank in top five in the conference.

Offensively, running back Derrius Guice looks to be returning to full strength after missing all or parts of three games so far this year. Guice leads the Tigers with 364 yards and five rushing touchdowns. His best run in over a month came in the fourth quarter against Florida last week giving LSU coaches the impression that he has nearly returned to full strength.

“He looked good in practice,” Orgeron said of Guice. “I think that run last week (in fourth quarter against Florida) gave him some confidence. Hopefully he’ll feel that he can run like that every down.”

Guice will be joined in the backfield by senior Darrel Williams, who has 355 yards and five TDs, while wide receiver Russell Gage has played a significant role in the Tiger running game and has accounted for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Danny Etling will make his 17th consecutive start on Saturday, the longest streak for a Tiger quarterback since Zach Mettenberger started 25 games from 2012 to 2013. Etling is 11-5 as LSU’s starter and this year he’s connected on 71-of-118 passes for 1,046 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception.

Etling’s top target is that of senior DJ Chark, who has caught 17 passes for 385 yards. In six games, 10 players have carried the ball on designed running plays, while 15 players have at least one reception to their credit.

“We want to spread the ball around and get the ball into our playmakers’ hands in space,” Orgeron said of the LSU offense. “I thought Matt (Canada) did a tremendous job last week, and I know he’s going to do it again this week.”

Etling and the Tigers will continue to rely on the protection of a youthful offensive line, one that could see as many as three true freshmen see action against Auburn. Last week, at one point against Florida, the Tigers had three true freshmen, a redshirt freshman, and a junior on the offensive line.

True freshman Ed Ingram has started five-straight games at right guard, while Saahdiq Charles has started twice this year, once at right guard and one time at right tackle. Still, Orgeron said that no matter who is on the offensive line, LSU must run their offense.

“We have to run our offense, do what we have to do and they have to execute,” Orgeron said. We’re going in there full speed, running our offense, and doing the things we need to do to be successful.

“(Our freshmen offensive linemen) did a good job (last week). The thing about these guys that I’ve said all along is that they can handle the physicality of the game. That’s a positive for a freshman lineman because it’s a physical game, especially in the SEC. Obviously they made some freshman mistakes, but we are working to correct those.”

The Auburn game is the only home game for the Tigers in the month October. After this week, LSU travels to face Ole Miss next Saturday before an open date on Oct. 28. LSU doesn’t return home until week 10 when the Tigers host Arkansas on Nov. 11.