What We Learned from Auburn’s Blowout Loss to LSU

The Auburn Tigers entered Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday still hot after their massive upset win over No. 1 Georgia, but the LSU Tigers quickly took care of business, securing their first away SEC win since 2024 by a final score of 38-17.

This certainly wasn’t the outcome the Tigers–and their fans–were hoping for after looking so strong last week, but there is still plenty we can learn from this loss. Let’s break it down.

Rushing Inefficiency

Unlike some of the Tigers’ other losses, where they struggled to get their offense going early but found their stride throughout the game, the Tigers were completely unable to get their offense going consistently against LSU. A large part of this struggle came from LSU’s handling of Byrum Brown, limiting the Tigers' quarterback to just 21 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

The Tigers’ leading running back, Jeremiah Cobb, carried the ball five times for 14 yards, followed by Omar Mabson, who carried the ball three times for 13 yards. As a team, the Tigers averaged 1.9 yards per carry on a total of 67 rushing yards.

With the rushing attack nearly completely shut down throughout the game, the Tigers’ offense floundered, as the Tigers’ quarterback was only able to complete 160 yards worth of passes and did not complete a passing touchdown. The Tigers illustrated quite clearly that winning, for them, starts with the rushing attack, so going forward, they’ll need a different approach to getting things started.

Battle of the Trenches

The name of the game in matchups like these is simple: pressure the opposing quarterback and don’t let your own quarterback get pressured. LSU executed this strategy to near perfection, dominating the Tigers in the trenches throughout the matchup.

For Auburn, Byrum Brown was sacked six times for a total of 39 yards lost, while LSU’s Sam Leavitt was never sacked, never pressured and never hurried. This discrepancy was a driving factor in each team’s offensive performance, as Leavitt completed over 380 yards worth of passes, while Brown managed just 160.

That, without a doubt, is not a recipe for success for Auburn, who will need to get back to work in the trenches after a strong showing last week.

Silver Lining, Sort Of

Though it may not be much of a consolation for Tiger fans at this point in the season, it is certainly worth noting that the Tigers did not turn over the ball at any point throughout this matchup, especially given how they struggled in their games preceding the bye week.

Particularly for Brown, who was consistently pressured, it’s a step in the right direction to avoid interceptions, and he extends his turnover-free game streak to two games.

However, the Tigers were also unable to force any turnovers of their own, unlike their three-takeaway performance last week against Georgia. Without pressure on Leavitt, the Tigers’ quarterback had plenty of time to find the right target amidst a disappointing showing for Auburn’s defense.

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