Auburn Daily Roundtable: LSU boasts strongest offense the Tigers will see this season

Auburn's offense has struggled to get off of the ground during these first few weeks of the season.

Head coach Hugh Freeze preached patience when it came to the Tigers' passing attack, but few expected it to be this anemic coming out of the bye week.

Auburn ranks last in the SEC in passing yards per game at 156.6 per contest. Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne has struggled to create any consistency with his receivers, and with the way things are headed halfway through the year, he may not be able to.

Now, the Tigers match up against arguably the strongest offense they will see this season - the LSU Tigers.

Here's our staff's thoughts on the game against Jayden Daniels and the Bayou Bengals.

LSU has statistically the second-worst pass defense in the SEC. Does Auburn throw for over their season average (156.2) yards?

Lindsay: You have to assume they do, but it's hard to imagine this Auburn passing attack magically figuring it out. That being said, you're coming off of a bye week, and if there's a time to take a significant jump in the quality of the passing attack, it's after a bye against a historically-bad passing defense.

Shel: Not only are they the second-worst pass defense in the SEC, they are the second worst defense the Tigers have faced this season. I suspect we at least break 100 yards against our first Power 5 game since last season. I’m not too positive about breaking past the 156 yard mark.

Jeremy: A stoppable force is meeting a movable object. I do not know how to answer this question. Who is worse LSU’s pass defense or Auburn’s pass offense? I’ll give the edge to the home team and say no.

Steve: I have no reason to believe that Auburn will get more than their average for the season, but I am going to say that they will pass for 200 yards.

Joshua: Payton Thorne would have thrown well over the 156-yard mark had his receivers been effective at securing the ball. If these kinks have been ironed out we should see some decent passing against the LSU secondary.

Who has more rushing yards in this game and why?

Lindsay: Going to assume this is limited to Auburn players, and so I'm going with Brian Battie. This feels like a game where he'll get some looks out of passing formations and probably break off a big run.

Shel: From a team vs team aspect, I would say Auburn. Auburn has to have the most rushing yards in this game to have a chance. From an Auburn player aspect, Payton Thorne will be using his legs again and put the good guys in a position to win.

Jeremy: I will say Auburn will have more rushing yards. The Tigers passing game is so bad they are liable to abandon the run.

Steve: Auburn will have more rushing yards, 220-250. Auburn’s backs are consistently able to pick up positive yards against stout defenses and LSU is not one stout, let alone good.

Joshua: I would say Brian Battie, his size and elusiveness allows him to be lost by the defense.

What's the most important individual matchup in this game?

Lindsay: Auburn's offensive line versus LSU pass rusher Harold Perkins. Thorne's played significantly worse when he's pressured, and so any sort of growth in the passing game can't happen without Auburn's line keeping Perkins at bay so that Thorne can be comfortable and deliver the ball.

Shel: Eugene Asante vs Jayden Daniels. Daniel’s will kill Auburn’s defense with his legs if he gets the chance too. Eugene should be able to contain him to keep the Tigers in the game.

Jeremy: Payton Thorne versus his receivers. They have got to figure something out. I hope they spent every moment of the bye week together. I hope timing and catching are improved. Auburn needs them on the same page.

Steve: I think it will be Keldric Faulk against whoever he is matched up against. Containing and pressuring Jayden Daniel’s will be a key and it’s time for Faulk to step up as a significant contributor and flex his five-star abilities.

Joshua: Rivaldo Fairweather against whoever he is lined up against, if he is able to get separation he will definitely be able to eat. He also has the surest hands we have seen this season.

Where does the upset happen (what area of the game allows Auburn to pull it off)?

Lindsay: If the upset happens, Auburn's defensive backs have to come down with some crucial deflections and interceptions. This is an excellent offense from LSU, and Auburn can't sustain the scoring needed to win a shootout. But if Auburn can stall out some drives, flip the field with some turnovers, and even score on defense, it makes things a lot easier on Auburn's offense.

Shel: Auburn’s defense shows up yet again and scores some points to help out the struggling offense.

Jeremy: Defense and turnovers. If Auburn can play good defense and win the turnover battle they have a chance. LSU has felt unstable at times lately, but they play better at home. Night games in Death Valley are a different experience, and there’s a reason it took Auburn 20 years to win there. Auburn needs the other Tigers to beat themselves with turnovers.

Steve: If the upset is going to happen, third downs on both sides of the ball will be where it’s at. Auburn’s offense must have better efficiency than they did against Georgia. The defense on the other hand has to get stops on third down and get off the field. Two or three more stops against Georgia would have changed the way that game played out.

Joshua: LSU’s defense needs to fall apart. They have been allowing a lot of points per game lately forcing their offense to step up. This could be Auburns window.