Three Auburn Players to Watch Against LSU
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It’s a new week for LSU as they look to carry their success into SEC play against the Auburn Tigers Saturday night. Brian Kelly is set to prepare his squad for conference play with their first true road matchup coming against a balanced attack Auburn has in place offensively.
After a critical victory over Missouri, the Auburn Tigers will look to continue their hot start, but LSU’s defense will have something to say about that. With their top two quarterbacks on the injury report, this team could be down to their third string signal-caller, but their flurry of weapons could help them in the long run.
Here are three players to watch Saturday night:
Derick Hall - EDGE
After giving up 41 points in a loss to Penn State in Week 3, this Auburn defense showed improvement in their win over Missouri. Still, this LSU offense should be able to put points on the board with their playmakers that overmatch the Auburn secondary.
READ MORE: LSU Safety Joe Foucha Eager for Debut
This defense is led by outside linebacker Derick Hall who did it all for the Tigers in Saturday afternoon’s win. The senior finished with 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception to prove this unit still has life.
With news breaking of offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger being out this weekend, LSU will see yet another new starting unit up front, which means this squad will have to get after it this week in practice to prepare for Hall.
Tank Bigsby - Running Back
Auburn has been trying their best to get their star running back more touches. After the first few games, it was evident this squad was in dire need of a more balanced rushing attack, and Bigsby certainly provided this squad with just that.
READ MORE: LSU's Secondary Just Scratching the Surface
In their blowout loss to Penn State, Bigsby touched the ball just 11 times. Going for nine carries and two receptions, his lack of involvement in the offense became apparent, but when he touched the ball, good things happened. He had 39 yards on the ground and 38 yards through the air with an average of 7.3 yards per touch.
Look for Auburn to feed him the rock Saturday night whether it’s on short, quick plays or giving different looks out of the backfield.
Robby Ashford/TJ Finley - Quarterbacks
Auburn’s starting quarterback, and LSU transfer, TJ Finley was sidelined for their last game against Missouri with a shoulder injury. This also comes after the monstrous signal-caller was benched in their blowout loss to Penn State the week before.
Finley still appears to be their guy, but with an injury concern that could hold him out of this one, it’ll be something to monitor closely as the week progresses. Their backup, Zach Calzada, has been ruled out for the season after opting to undergo shoulder surgery.
READ MORE: Brian Kelly Talks Jayden Daniels' Progression, Injury Update
Now what? If Finley is out again, the Tigers will look to go with their third string quarterback Robby Ashford to hold it down for their squad. LSU will have some film on Ashford after he got the start against Missouri, but as of right now, their quarterback situation is up in the air.
Both quarterbacks bring a different element to this offense. Finley has the cannon of an arm while Ashford provides a more dual-threat approach. In game planning for Auburn, it’ll be imperative this team monitors the legs of Ashford. More information on who their quarterback will be should be released within the next few days.
