This SEC West rivalry between LSU and Auburn in what is always called “The Tiger Bowl” does not disappoint and it didn’t disappoint Saturday night. The LSU Tigers come all the way back after trailing 17 points in the first quarter. From that point on, LSU shut out Auburn the rest of the football game and scored three touchdowns in the process to come back and get the big SEC West victory. LSU also forced four turnovers in what also paid dividends in the win.
It did not start off looking like it would be LSU’s night though. Just like the Mississippi State game in which the Bulldogs jumped to an early two possession lead, it was the Auburn Tigers that struck first with two touchdown passes from Robby Ashford. The first score came on a busted coverage as Ashford escaped the pocket and threw a 53 yard touchdown strike to Ja’Varrius Johnson. The second touchdown came after Auburn marched down the field 99 yards as it was capped off when Ashford found a wide open Camden Brown in the back of the end zone. Just starting the second quarter, Auburn held a 14-0 lead. Auburn would tack on three more points from an Anders Carlson field goal to extend the lead, but that would end up being all the points scored by the Auburn Tigers for the rest of the night.
LSU would get on the scoreboard for the first time thanks to their defense as BJ Ojulari forces a sack fumble on Ashford and Jay Ward proceeds to scoop the fumble and return it for a touchdown. LSU’s offense struggled to get going on the road until the last drive of the first half when a hands to the face penalty by Auburn gave LSU new life. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels made a great 12 yard scramble to pick up a first down without his shoe and then found John Emery Jr. out of the backfield for a 39 yard gain to put the Tigers inside the one yard line. Two plays later, Daniels keeps it on the zone read and scores for his third rushing touchdown of the year with fifteen seconds left to go until halftime.
Auburn would take a 17-14 lead to halftime. After both offenses struggled to put anything together, LSU would then take the lead for the first time late in the third quarter when John Emery had an incredible 20 yard touchdown run breaking multiple tackles and then high stepping into the end zone. LSU would take a 21-17 lead going into the fourth quarter.
After it looked like Jarrick Bernard-Converse got an interception, Auburn would get a break as holding was called on Sage Ryan, which gave them a first and ten at LSU’s 28 yard line. However, it delayed the inevitable as when Auburn was inside the red zone to try to take back the lead, a trick play backfires when wide receiver Koy Moore throws the ball up in the air and was intercepted by LSU linebacker Harold Perkins to give LSU its second turnover of the football game.
Four plays in the drive, Jayden Daniels was pulled out of the football game by LSU head coach Brian Kelly because Daniels took a knee to knee shot in the previous drive. Garrett Nussmeier would enter the football game for Daniels and would finish the rest of the football game out. After both teams would trade a couple of punts, Auburn’s special teams makes a mistake when Keionte Scott muffed the punt inside the 34 yard line. Jarrick Bernard-Converse recovers the fumble for LSU’s third takeaway, but LSU gives the ball back to Auburn when Donovan Kaufman strips the ball from John Emery and Jayson Jones recovers for the home team.
Auburn’s offense had a chance with under five minutes left to play in the game to take back the lead, but once again, LSU’s defense stepped up when it mattered most as Greg Brooks made the play of the game intercepting Ashford when he stole the ball away from Koy Moore with two minutes left to play.
LSU would then proceed to run the rest of the clock out and clinch a 21-17 win on the road in the SEC.
LSU continues its winning streak at four games in a row while also improving to 2-0 in the SEC and 4-1 overall. Meanwhile, Auburn falls to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC.
For LSU head coach Brian Kelly, he knows that his team could have executed a lot better, but it is still a huge win anytime that his team can go on the road and win in a hostile environment.
“To go on the road and not play your best and to find a way to win against Auburn at Auburn — it’s a tough place to play. The SEC is hard, and each and every week when you win, you appreciate it. Winning is hard in the SEC.”
“Our guys just kept playing and made some plays and made the big play here at the end on the interception. It wasn’t perfect, but sometimes, you learn a lot about grit and determination. We’ve got a lot of coaching to do and we got a lot of room for improvement.”
LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly on 21-17 win
Next up, LSU will take on the number eight team in the country in the Tennessee Volunteers next Saturday at home while Auburn goes on the road to take on the number one team in the country and the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Check out the final stats below!
Offensive Cumulative Stats:
| STAT | LSU | Auburn |
|---|---|---|
| NET TOTAL YARDS | 270 | 438 |
| NET RUSHING YARDS | 185 | 101 |
| Rushing Attempts | 49 | 31 |
| Average Per Rush | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| Rushing TDs | 2 | 0 |
| Yards Gained | 211 | 126 |
| Yards Lost | 26 | 25 |
| NET PASSING YARDS | 85 | 337 |
| Completion-Attempts | 10-26 | 19-39 |
| Completion Percentage | 38% | 49% |
| Avg Per Completion | 8.5 | 17.7 |
| YAC | 42 | 162 |
| Passing TDs | 0 | 2 |
| Drops (%) | 4 (15%) | 1 (03%) |
| TOTAL 1ST DOWNS | 20 | 21 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 14 | 9 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 2 | 10 |
| Penalty 1st Downs | 4 | 2 |
| TOTAL PLAYS | 75 | 70 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 3.6 | 6.3 |
| Rushing-Passing | 49-26 | 31-39 |
Offense Efficiency Comparison:
| STAT | LSU | Auburn |
|---|---|---|
| RED ZONE ATTEMPTS | 2-2 | 2-3 |
| Red Zone Points | 14 | 10 |
| RZ TDs Rush-Pass | 2-0 | 0-1 |
| RZ FG Made-Att | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| RZ Turns | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Downs | 5-15 | 6-15 |
| 4th Downs | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Penalties | 10-96 | 8-80 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-1 | 6-2 |
| Pts Off Turns | 7 | 0 |
| POSSESSION TIME | 29:07 | 30:53 |
Special Teams Comparison:
| STAT | LSU | Auburn |
|---|---|---|
| Punts-Avg | 9-44.4 | 4-46.3 |
| Inside20 | 5 | 2 |
| Field Goals | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Kick Returns | 2-54 | 3-61 |
| Punt Returns | 0-0 | 3-20 |
Defensive Comparison:
| STAT | LSU | Auburn |
|---|---|---|
| TACKLES | 55 | 63 |
| Solo Tackles | 39 | 45 |
| Tackles for Loss | 5 | 8 |
| TFL Yards | -15 | -24 |
| Pass Breakups | 3 | 2 |
| QB Hurries | 4 | 2 |
| Sacks | 2 | 3 |
| Sacks Yards | -8 | -13 |
| Takeaways FR-INT | 2-2 | 1-0 |
| Forced Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumble Recoveries | 2 | 1 |
| FR Yards | 23 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 0 |
| INT Yards | 27 | 0 |
| TDs INT-FR | 0-1 | 0-0 |
LSU Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | DANIELS,J | 8-20 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 73.6 |
| 13 | NUSSMEIER,G | 2-6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 40.3 |
| PASS TOTALS | 10-26 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
LSU Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG | TGT | C% | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | TAYLOR,M | 3 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 4.7 | 7 | 43 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | NABERS,M | 2 | 26 | 0 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 33 | 7 | 1 |
| 27 | WILLIAMS,J | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 100 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | EMERY JR.,J | 1 | 39 | 0 | 39 | 39 | 3 | 33 | 30 | 1 |
| 7 | BOUTTE,K | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 50 | -6 | 1 |
| 80 | BECH,J | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 100 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | THOMAS JR.,B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 RECEIVERS | 10 | 85 | 0 | 39 | 8.5 | 25 | 40 | 42 | 4 |
LSU Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | WILLIAMS,J | 17 | 68 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
| 5 | DANIELS,J | 16 | 59 | 1 | 12 | 3.7 |
| 4 | EMERY JR.,J | 8 | 42 | 1 | 20 | 5.3 |
| 21 | CAIN,N | 5 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 4.2 |
| 4 RUSHERS | 49 | 185 | 2 | 20 | 3.8 |
LSU Punting
| Punter | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | I20 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRAMBLETT,J | 9 | 400 | 44.4 | 65 | 5 | 2 |
LSU Field Goals
| Kicker | Time | Dist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 0-0 | LONG OF 0 |
LSU All Purpose Yards
| Player | Tot | Rush | Rec | KOR | PR | IR-FR | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMERY JR.,J | 81 | 42 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| WILLIAMS,J | 68 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DANIELS,J | 59 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
LSU Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | J.Roy (DL) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | J.Ward (DB) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | M.Wingo (DL) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | B.Ojulari (DE) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | J.Bernard-Converse | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | G.Penn III (LB) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | M.Garner (DB) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | M.Jones Jr. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | M.Baskerville (LB) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | H.Perkins Jr. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | A.Gaye (DE) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | J.Foucha (DB) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | C.Richardson (DB) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | W.Weeks | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | S.Banks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | G.Brooks Jr. (S) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | J.Jenkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Z.Carter | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | D.Tolan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | S.Roy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | J.Guillory | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | S.Ryan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | S.Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 55 | 39 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
LSU Punt Returns
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|
LSU Kick Returns
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BECH,J | 2 | 54 | 27 | 34 | 0 |
LSU Team Stats By Quarter
| 1st | Rush | Pass | CAI | TotY | Avg | 3rds | Pens | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 | 11-40 | 6-12 | 2-6-0 | 52 | 3.1 | 1-4 | 3-30 |
| 2nd | 6 | 11-29 | 11-68 | 6-11-0 | 97 | 4.4 | 1-3 | 3-40 |
| 3rd | 7 | 14-93 | 3-0 | 0-3-0 | 93 | 5.5 | 1-3 | 2-15 |
| 4th | 3 | 13-23 | 6-5 | 2-6-0 | 28 | 1.5 | 2-5 | 2-11 |
| Total | 20 | 49-185 | 26-85 | 10-26-0 | 270 | 3.6 | 5-15 | 10-96 |
LSU Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 06:33 | TD | FUMB | J.Ward 23 yd fumble return PAT kick by D.Ramos (GOOD) |
17-7 | |
| 2 | 00:15 | TD | RUSH | J.Daniels 1 yd rush PAT kick by D.Ramos (GOOD) |
11/77/1:41 | 17-14 |
| 3 | 03:32 | TD | RUSH | J.Emery Jr. 20 yd rush PAT kick by D.Ramos (GOOD) |
7/63/3:34 | 17-21 |
Auburn Passing
| # | PLAYER | C-A | YDS | TD | I | C% | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | ASHFORD,R | 19-38 | 337 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 136.6 |
| 0 | MOORE,K | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -200 |
| PASS TOTALS | 19-39 | 337 | 2 | 2 | 49 |
Auburn Receiving
| # | PLAYER | NO | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG | TGT | C% | YAC | DR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | MOORE,K | 4 | 55 | 0 | 31 | 13.8 | 9 | 44 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | BIGSBY,T | 4 | 18 | 0 | 9 | 4.5 | 6 | 67 | 27 | 1 |
| 6 | JOHNSON,J | 3 | 74 | 1 | 53 | 24.7 | 5 | 60 | 30 | 0 |
| 25 | SHENKER,J | 3 | 42 | 0 | 27 | 14 | 6 | 50 | 32 | 0 |
| 27 | HUNTER,J | 2 | 70 | 0 | 61 | 35 | 4 | 50 | 56 | 0 |
| 85 | FROMM,T | 1 | 35 | 0 | 35 | 35 | 1 | 100 | 15 | 0 |
| 19 | KELLY,O | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | BROWN,C | 1 | 18 | 1 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 RECEIVERS | 19 | 337 | 2 | 61 | 17.7 | 37 | 51 | 162 | 1 |
Auburn Rushing
| # | PLAYER | ATT | YDS | TD | LNG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | BIGSBY,T | 12 | 45 | 0 | 23 | 3.8 |
| 27 | HUNTER,J | 6 | 35 | 0 | 11 | 5.8 |
| 9 | ASHFORD,R | 11 | 19 | 0 | 24 | 1.7 |
| 6 | JOHNSON,J | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 RUSHERS | 31 | 101 | 0 | 24 | 3.3 |
Auburn Punting
| Punter | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | I20 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAPMAN,O | 4 | 185 | 46.3 | 50 | 2 | 0 |
Auburn Field Goals
| Kicker | Time | Dist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.Carlson | 2nd-09:38 | 29 | GOOD |
| A.Carlson | 2nd-01:56 | 40 | MISSED |
| TOTAL | 1-2 | LONG OF 29 |
Auburn All-Purpose Yards
| Player | Tot | Rush | Rec | KOR | PR | IR-FR | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUNTER,J | 150 | 35 | 70 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JOHNSON,J | 78 | 4 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| BIGSBY,T | 63 | 45 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Auburn Defense
| # | Player (Starter) | TotTk | Solo | Sack | TFL | Int | BrUp | QBH | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | W.Steiner (LB) | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | O.Pappoe (LB) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | Z.Puckett (DB) | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | C.Wooden (DL) | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | K.Scott (CB) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | N.Pritchett (DB) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 50 | M.Harris (DL) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 98 | M.Bragg | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | D.Kaufman (DB) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | D.Hall (DL) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | J.Simpson | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | D.James (CB) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | A.Ausberry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | R.Ashford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | C.Bridges | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | A.Carlson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | D.Tisdol | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | E.Leota (DL) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 77 | K.Zierer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | J.Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 63 | 45 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Auburn Punt Returns
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCOTT,K | 3 | 20 | 07 | 15 | 0 |
Auburn Kick Returns
| Returner | NO | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUNTER,J | 2 | 45 | 23 | 25 | 0 |
| SCOTT,K | 1 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 3 | 61 | 20 | 25 | 0 |
Auburn Team Stats By Quarter
| 1st | Rush | Pass | CAI | TotY | Avg | 3rds | Pens | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 | 11-24 | 8-83 | 3-8-0 | 107 | 5.6 | 4-6 | 1-5 |
| 2nd | 7 | 7-12 | 12-164 | 9-12-0 | 176 | 9.3 | 1-3 | 2-20 |
| 3rd | 6 | 5-37 | 13-82 | 5-13-0 | 119 | 6.6 | 1-4 | 4-50 |
| 4th | 4 | 8-28 | 6-8 | 2-6-2 | 36 | 2.6 | 0-2 | 1-5 |
| Total | 21 | 31-101 | 39-337 | 19-39-2 | 438 | 6.3 | 6-15 | 8-80 |
Auburn Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Clock | Score | Type | Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:57 | TD | PASS | J.Johnson 53 yd reception thrown by R.Ashford PAT kick by A.Carlson (GOOD) |
6/69/1:56 | 7-0 |
| 2 | 14:04 | TD | PASS | C.Brown 18 yd reception thrown by R.Ashford PAT kick by A.Carlson (GOOD) |
6/99/2:56 | 14-0 |
| 2 | 09:38 | FG | A.Carlson 29 yd Field Goal | 7/48/2:32 | 17-0 |