Auburn’s defensive keys to beating LSU
It’s about that time of the week again.
After far too close of a shave with Missouri last week, the Tigers play yet another home game against the SEC’s third Tigers team in LSU. LSU had a rough start to the year when it failed to defeat Florida State, but it’s been rolling since then — the Bayou Bengals have won their last three matchups and scored at least 30 points in all of them, so it may be a tough ask to slow them down.
Fear not, though. Should Auburn follow these four defensive keys, it’ll walk out of Jordan-Hare on Saturday with a home victory:
Put a spy on Jayden Daniels
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Fortunately, Auburn is running into another quarterback like Brady Cook who leads his team in both passing and rushing yards. Unfortunately, junior Jayden Daniels is a lot better.
Daniels is currently boasting a 73 percent completion rate and has thrown six touchdowns with no interceptions. On top of that, he’s put up two touchdowns on the ground and averages six yards per carry on 44 attempts. That means he’s averaging two touchdowns a game and, subsequently, that he’s a problem.
Auburn will need to put a spy on him to make sure he doesn’t get too comfortable outside of the pocket. On top of that, bringing pressure will ensure he doesn’t get too comfortable inside of it, either.
Win the turnover battle
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Auburn made a big initial step last week in getting its first turnover, so the next logical step is to win a turnover battle — and in a game against a team with a plus-2 turnover margin like LSU, it would be a great time to do that.
A part of this is out of the defense’s hands, of course, but that doesn’t mean the unit can’t do its part. Ending Daniels’ turnover-free streak in the passing game would be a huge boon to controlling the game and forcing fumbles from a typically-productive ground game would do well to flip the tides. The goal isn’t to just get one, but to get as many as you can to help your offense.
Don't be fooled by Malik Nabers
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Talk about target share.
So far on the year, wideout Malik Nabers has nabbed seven more receptions than his closest competitor on LSU’s receiving corps with 20 on the year. He only has one touchdown on the year, though, and wideout Jaray Jenkins, with seven fewer catches, has three. In short, don’t let Nabers’ advantage in production fool you.
Nabers has LSU’s longest reception (60 yards) and the most yards total of any LSU wide receiver (264), but he typically doesn’t find the endzone. Zero in on him too much, and other wideouts like Jenkins and Brian Thomas Jr. will waltz across the plane for six. That being said, don’t completely ignore him, either, because he’ll look to make up for his lack of touchdowns this year on Saturday.
Don't let Noah Cain have a big day
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Back when he played for Penn State last year, Auburn did a decent job of stifling running back Noah Cain. He only averaged 2.4 yards per carry that night, but he also found the endzone for a score that would contribute to Auburn’s 28-20 loss.
Cain should be the prominent back for LSU come game day due to the team’s leader in rushing touchdowns, Armoni Goodwin, being out with a hamstring injury. Goodwin has five touchdowns on the year, but Cain has four, and he’s also averaging more yards per carry than Goodwin is (6.0 yards per carry). If Auburn can hold him to low production like it did last year, a win could be in its future — just don’t let him get in the endzone this time.
