Five things to know about Auburn prior to LSU’s Week 7 matchup
LSU and Auburn will meet for the 58th time in the history of their respective programs on Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Auburn has a new head coach this time around in Hugh Freeze. But just because it’s Year 1 for Freeze at Auburn doesn’t mean LSU lacks familiarity.
The Tigers were plenty acquainted with Freeze when he was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2012-16. In that time, Freeze was 0-3 in Tiger Stadium but did get the best of LSU in 2013 and 2015 in Oxford.
Freeze hit the rebuild button hard upon his arrival, so there’s a lot of new personnel here.
Here are five things you should know about Auburn before its trip to Death Valley this week.
The defense is good
LSU’s offense will be tested this week. This Auburn defense is playing well with a DF+ of 18th.
Auburn’s particularly good against the pass, ranking 19th in EPA per pass allowed.
Last time out, Auburn forced Georgia to struggle some. The Bulldogs went on to score 27 points, but thats the same unit that just dropped 51 on Kentucky.
Auburn’s defense is holding strong near the goal line. The group ranks 10th nationally in red zone scoring rate. That’s one area where LSU’s offense struggles a bit. LSU ranks top 10 nationally in most areas, but is just 66th in red zone scoring percentage.
They still have quarterback problems
It’s been awhile since Auburn’s gotten consistent strong quarterback play. The issues have continued into 2023 as Freeze tries to find something that works.
Payton Thorne, the Michigan State transfer, started all five games so far. He was strong with the Spartans in 2021 before struggling last year. Those struggles continued into this year and Thorne is just 10th in the SEC in ESPN’s QBR metric.
In SEC play, he’s completing only 52% of his passes while averaging 63 passing yards per game.
That’s not going to cut if Auburn wants to keep up with LSU’s high-flying offense.
A lot of tranfers
LSU fans have watched their own transfer heavy teams the last couple of years. Auburn happens to be in a similar spot with Freeze looking to kickstart the rebuild.
It’s most noticeable on the offensive line, where transfers are starting at both tackle spots and center. The results there could stand to improve. Auburn ranks in the bottom half of the SEC in PFF’s pass blocking grade and run blocking grade.
Rivaldo Fairweather and Shane Hooks, Auburn’s second and third leading receivers, are also transfers.
On the defensive front, Auburn added Jalen McLeod and Mosiah Nasil Kite. The two have combined for 15 pressures on the year.
A lot of these guys might be new, but that doesn’t mean they lack experience playing college football.
They struggle to create explosive plays
This will come as good news for an LSU defense that ranks second to last in 20-yard play rate allowed.
Auburn’s offense sits 93rd in 20-yard play rate, hitting the big gainers just 6% of the time.
A lot of this goes back to that struggling passing game. Thorne’s completed just eight deep balls. That ranks 13th among 15 qualified SEC quarterbacks.
Freeze’s offense does fine on the ground, ranking 37th in 10+ yard run rate. But there’s only so much that does when an explosive passing offense is almost non-existent.
Auburn is coming off a bye and Freeze will have some tricks to get after a struggling LSU secondary. This is weakness vs. weakness here. LSU needs to win this matchup.
Players to know
Safety Jaylin Simpson
Simpson is one of the best defenders in the conference. He’s a true fifth-year, having played his first snaps way back in 2019. To say the least, he’s seen a lot at Auburn.
Simpson is tied for the SEC lead in interceptions with four. He’ll occasionally be used as a blitzer and has two pressures.
CB D.J. James
I mentioned James in this same piece last year. Like Simpson, he’s been playing college football since 2019. This is his second year with Auburn after transferring in prior to 2022.
He was one of the best corners in the SEC last year and he’s doing it again this year. Auburn needs a big one from him to keep Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. in check.
DL Marcus Harris
We’re sticking with the theme of fifth-year players here. Harris saw his first CFB action with Kansas in 2019. He joined Auburn in 2021 and he’s approaching 1,700 career snaps.
According to PFF, Harris is the top graded defensive linemen in the SEC so far.
LSU is familiar with Hunter. He’s racked up 180 total yards against LSU over the last two years.
He had a big catch and run for a touchdown last year. Auburn will count on some more explosive plays again this year in hopes of jump starting the offense.
