LSU vs Auburn: Complete Game Preview

For the 47th time, the Auburn Tigers will face off against the LSU Tigers this weekend. LSU currently has a 25-20-1 series lead and coming off a 45-10 beatdown of Auburn last year in Death Valley. It was the largest margin of victory for any team in the series. The Tigers will look for revenge and will attempt to knock LSU off and ruin its hopes to repeat as SEC Champions. 

The Tigers in orange and blue picked up their first win of the season last weekend against upset-minded Louisiana-Monroe. Auburn was up by two touchdowns going into the final quarter, but Louisiana-Monroe fought back valiantly and forced overtime. Auburn won the game courtesy of an overtime field goal by Cody Parkey.

LSU beat up on the University of Idaho Vandals and won by a score of 63-14 last weekend in Baton Rouge. 

All you need to know about the Tigers vs. Tigers matchup can be found right here...

Game-Day Information

Who: LSU at Auburn

When: Saturday, 6pm (CST)

Stadium: Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,541)

Series History at Auburn: Auburn holds a 10-6 advantage.

Where: Auburn, AL

TV: Televised nationally on ESPN

Radio: Auburn IMG Sports Network. Complete list of affiliates can be found here.

Internet Stream: Video feed on ESPN3.com. Radio feed on AuburnTigers.com with subscription.

Depth Chart for Auburn

Offense
Position	Number	Name	Height	Weight	Class
QB	10	Kiehl Frazier	6’2”	226	So
	15	Clint Moseley	6’4”	229	Jr
RB	23	Onterio McCalebb	5’11”	173	Sr
	21	Tre Mason	5’10”	198	So
Or	22	Mike Blakely	5’9”	206	Fr-Rs
FB	35	Jay Prosch	6’0”	260	Jr
	48	Blake Burgess	6’3”	249	Jr
WR	80	Emory Blake	6’2”	193	Sr
	18	Sammie Coates	6’2”	200	So
	5	Ricardo Louis	6’2”	210	Fr
WR	4	Quan Bray	5’10”	185	So
	89	Jaylon Denson	6’3”	211	So
TE	43	Phillip Lutzenkirchen	6’5”	255	Sr
	11	Brandon Fulse	6’4”	249	So
Or	81	C.J. Uzomah	6’4”	250	So
LT	73	Greg Robinson	6’5”	311	Fr-Rs
	72	Shon Coleman	6’6”	302	Fr-Rs
LG	71	John Sullen	6’5”	313	Sr
	63	Alex Kozan	6’4”	294	Fr
C	51	Reese Dismukes	6’3”	293	So
	65	Tunde Faryike	6’2”	301	So
RG	62	Chad Slade	6’5”	301	So
	75	Christian Westerman	6’4”	298	Fr-Rs
RT	56	Avery Young	6’6”	295	Fr
	51	Patrick Miller	6’7”	288	Fr
Defense
DE	95	Dee Ford	6’2”	246	Jr
	13	Craig Sanders	6’4”	257	Jr
Or	94	Nosa Eguae	6’3”	268	Jr
DT	98	Angelo Blackson	6’4”	308	So
	92	Kenneth Carter	6’4”	289	Jr
	96	Devaunte  Sigler	6’4”	291	So
DT	54	Jeffrey Whitaker	6’4”	307	Jr
	90	Gabe Wright	6’3”	299	So
DE	55	Corey Lemonier	6’4”	246	Jr
	10	Ladarius Owens	6’2”	260	So
SLB	35	Jonathan Evans	5’11”	231	Sr
	26	Justin Garrett	6’1”	215	So
MLB	5	Jake Holland	6’1”	241	Jr
	56	Ashton Richardson	6’1”	218	So
WLB	25	Daren Bates	5’11”	215	Sr
	17	Kris Frost	6’2”	233	Fr-Rs
CB	11	Chris Davis	5’11”	200	Jr
	6	Jonathan Mincy	5’10”	190	So
FS	12	Demetruce McNeal	6’2”	187	Jr
	31	Trent Fisher	6’1”	200	So
SS	9	Jermaine Whitehead	5’11”	202	So
	24	Ryan Smith	6’2”	204	Jr
CB	22	T’Sharvan Bell	6’0”	190	So
	19	Ryan White	5’11”	198	Jr
Special Teams
PK	36	Cody Parkey	6’0”	194	Jr
	39	Alex Kviklys	6’2”	180	Fr-Rs
P	30	Steven Clark	6’5”	232	Jr
	37	J.D. Strawbridge	6’0”	171	Fr
H	19	Ryan White	5’11”	198	Jr
	30	Steven Clark	6’5”	232	Jr
DS	59	Jake Lembke	6’2”	245	Jr
	64	Forrest Hill	6’1”	242	So
KR	23	Onterio McCalebb	5’11”	173	Sr
	4	Quan Bray	5’10”	185	So
PR	4	Quan Bray	5’10”	185	So
	1	Trovon Reed	6’0”	190	So

Depth Chart for LSU

Offense
Position	Number	Name	Height	Weight	Class
X	82	James Wright	6’2”	203	Jr
	86	Kadron Boone	6’0”	200	Jr
LT	68	Josh Dworaczyk	6’6”	300	Sr
	73	Chris Davenport	6’4”	300	Jr
	65	Jerald Hawkins	6’6”	300	Fr
LG	70	La’el Collins	6’5”	321	So
	68	Josh Dworaczyk	6’6”	300	Sr
	71	Jonah Austin	6’6”	329	Fr-Rs
C	64	P.J. Lonergan	6’4”	305	So
	55	Elliot Porter	6’4”	300	So
RG	74	Josh Williford	6’7”	334	Jr
	56	Trai Turner	6’3”	306	Fr-Rs
RT	72	Alex Hurst	6’6”	331	Sr
	78	Vadal Alexander	6’6”	350	Fr
Y	88	Chase Clement	6’5”	265	Sr
	84	Nic Jacobs	6’5”	265	So
	41	Travis Dickson	6’3”	230	So
Z	3	Odell Beckham, Jr	6’0”	187	So
	10	Russell Shepard	6’1”	195	Sr
	14	Terrance Magee	5’9”	212	So
3-Wide	80	Jarvis Landry	6’0”	195	So
QB	8	Zach Mettenberger	6’5”	230	Jr
	17	Stephen Rivers	6’8”	225	Fr-Rs
	1	Rob Bolden	6’4”	208	Jr
RB	27	Kenny Hilliard	6’0”	231	So
Or	42	Michael Ford	5’10”	216	Jr
Or	11	Spencer Ware	5’11”	225	Jr
	33	Jeremy Hill	6’2”	235	Fr
FB	44	J.C. Copeland	6’1”	272	Jr
	43	Connor Neighbors	5’11”	236	So
Defense
LE	49	Barkevious Mingo	6’5”	240	Jr
	59	Jermaria Rasco	6’3”	255	So
	87	Chancey Aghayere	6’4”	266	Sr
LT	77	Josh Downs	6’1”	287	Sr
	9	Ego Ferguson	6’3”	308	So
RT	18	Bennie Logan	6’3”	295	Jr
	90	Anthony Johnson	6’3”	304	So
	95	Quentin Thomas	6’3”	294	Fr-Rs
RE	99	Sam Montgomery	6’5”	260	Jr
	89	Lavar Edwards	6’5”	258	Sr
	98	Jordan Allen	6’6”	253	So
Sam	52	Luke Muncie	6’3”	210	Jr
	58	Tahj Jones	6’2”	205	Jr
Or	23	Lamar Louis	6’0”	220	Fr
Or	25	Kwon Alexander	6’2”	215	Fr
Mike	46	Kevin Minter	6’2”	245	Jr
	22	Ronnie Feist	6’2”	230	Fr
	51	Trey Granier	6’1”	227	Fr
Will	57	Lamin Barrow	6’2”	229	Jr
	45	Deion Jones	6’2”	202	Fr
	35	Lorenzo Phillips	6’2”	215	Fr
LCB	28	Jalen Mills	6’0”	185	Fr
	32	Jalen Collins	6’2”	195	Fr-Rs
SS	6	Craig Loston	6’2”	205	Jr
	34	Micah Eugene	5’11”	190	Fr
	12	Corey Thompson	6’2”	210	Fr
FS	1	Eric Reid	6’2”	212	Jr
	26	Ronald Martin	6’1”	202	So
RCB	24	Tharold Simon	6’3”	187	Jr
	13	Dwayne Thomas	6’0”	175	Fr
	19	Derrick Raymond	6’1”	175	Fr
Special Teams
PK	30	Drew Alleman	5’11”	183	Sr
	30	James Hairston	6’1”	220	So
KO	30	James Hairston	6’1”	220	So
	30	Drew Alleman	5’11”	183	Sr
PR	3	Odell Beckham, Jr	6’0”	187	So
	80	Jarvis Landry	6’0”	195	So
Hold	38	Brad Wing	6’3”	184	So
	48	Seth Fruge	5’11”	189	Jr
KOR	80	Jarvis Landry	6’0”	195	So
	10	Russell Shepard	6’1”	195	Sr
	3	Odell Beckham, Jr	6’0”	187	So
P	38	Brad Wing	6’3”	197	So
	38	Jamie Keehn	6’4”	222	Fr
SNP	50	Ronald Ferguson	6’2”	225	Fr
	53	Logan Boudreaux	5’11”	215	Fr

What Happened to Auburn Last Week

Cody Parkey hit a game-winning field goal in overtime last Saturday to secure the Tigers’ first win of the 2012 season against Louisiana-Monroe.

Louisiana-Monroe got off to a fast start and scored on their opening drive when they took an early shot on 4th-and-goal. Kolton Browning found a wide-open tight end that slipped by linebacker Cassanova McKinzy.

Auburn responded with a score of its own on the first drive. Kiehl Frazier was effective throwing short routes and Onterio McCalebb took the ball into the end zone on a 27-yard touchdown run.

After some defensive stops by Auburn, Kolton Browning scored easily on a read-option run that he took for over 20 yards.

To end the half, Kiehl Frazier threw a Hail Mary pass that Sammie Coates came down with.

On Auburn’s first drive of the second half, the Tigers drove the ball down the Warhawks’ proverbial throat as they ran a more up-tempo no-huddle offense that would make Gus Malzahn proud. Tre Mason scored on a one-yard touchdown run that gave Auburn their first red-zone touchdown of the season.

Auburn attempted to put the game away in the third quarter by going up by 21 points, but Mike Blakely fumbled the ball one yard away the end zone.

The Auburn defense held ULM scoreless in the third quarter with the help of a blocked field goal by Nosa Eguae.

After a Kiehl Frazier interception early in the fourth, the Warhawks scored on their next two drives to tie the game at 28.

In overtime, Louisiana-Monroe lined up to kick a field goal on its first drive. Angelo Blackson got just enough of his paw on football to redirect the kick.

After Tre Mason took the first play Auburn offensive play of overtime 10 yards, Gene Chizik had Kiehl Frazier take a knee in the middle of the field. Chizik called on Parkey to win the game for Auburn and he did just that.

Here is our report card from Auburn vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

What Happened to LSU Last Week

LSU wasted little time getting on the board against Idaho. The Bengal Tigers scored on their first two drives to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Idaho fought back to get as close as seven points in the first half. LSU never looked back after the Vandals closed the gap to 21-14, though. At the half it was 28-14. In the second half, LSU scored 35 unanswered points. 

LSU picked off Idaho four different times on Saturday; two of those were returned for a touchdown. Strong safety Ronald Martin accounted for two of LSU's interceptions. 

Quarterback Zach Mettenberger went 17-of-22 with two touchdowns and 222 yards. 

The leading rusher for LSU was Kenny Hilliard. Hilliard rushed for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns. One touchdown came courtesy of a 71-yard scamper. 

Jarvis Landry led LSU in receiving. He had five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. 

After all the scoring was done, LSU walked away winners by a score of 63-14. 

The win for LSU set an NCAA record by giving the Tigers their 40th-straight non-conference win. They set a school record with their 20th straight home win. They will bring the nation's longest regular-season winning streak to Jordan-Hare Stadium. They have won 16 straight regular-season games. 

What It Means to Both Teams

Historically, the LSU-Auburn game is one of the most important games in the Southeastern Conference. The winner of this matchup has gone on to win the SEC West eight of the last 12 years. 

This year is no different. Auburn's expectations of winning the SEC West may have taken a hit, but winning the division still remains the goal of the team, however slim the chances may be. Beyond that, Auburn is looking to show the nation that last year's game versus LSU was a fluke by showing that this is a more mature team and a dangerous team.

If Auburn can somehow pull a monumental upset, it would mean that the Tigers finish the month of September with a .500 record and a week off to get ready for Arkansas before the Razorbacks come to town on October 6. 

For the intangibles, imagine what a win would do for this team's confidence. Auburn, along with their coach, have been disparaged by the fans and media after the first three games of the 2012. A win would put all that to rest. Even if Auburn struggles for the rest of the season, a win over second-ranked LSU would be a bright spot and would be the highlight of the 2012 season. 

For LSU, this game is its SEC opener. Each and every SEC team wants to get off on the right foot in conference / division play. At the base of the Tigers' higher aspirations for the season is winning the division championship. A loss in the division essentially knocks any team out of division title contention. 

This is also LSU's first road game of the young season and it will be quarterback Zach Mettenberger's first road SEC start. If LSU can get past Auburn in Jordan-Hare and Florida in The Swamp on October 6, the rest of the schedule sets up nicely for LSU to make another championship run. 

The remaining road trips are to Texas A&M and to Arkansas to close out the year. Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State come to Baton Rouge.

Key Player for Auburn

The common denominator between the last few national champions is a dominant defensive line. LSU's defensive line this year is good. Really good. Because of that, Auburn center Reese Dismukes is the key player for Auburn in this game. 

LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is one of the most respected defensive minds in college football and he will bring a lot of unique blitz packages that Dismukes will have to recognize and communicate to the rest of the offensive line.

If Dismukes is unsuccessful at this, Auburn quarterback Kiehl Frazier may not make it to the second half. 

LSU defensive tackles Josh Downs and Bennie Logan will bring a lot of twists, stunts and whatever else Chavis can chalk up on the Auburn offensive line. 

So far this year, LSU has a surprisingly low average of sacks per game (1.3). That does not mean that the defensive line has not been effective. It is putting ample amounts of pressure on opposing QBs so far this year. 

Reese Dismukes is undoubtedly up for the challenge, but he will have his hands full on Saturday night. If Dismukes can have success in both his play and communication, the offensive line should have success. If that happens, good things will come for the Auburn offense. 

If Dismukes and the Auburn offensive line can contain LSU's dominant defensive line, they will be the first to do it this year. 

Key Player for LSU

You will hear Odell Beckham, Jr.'s name a lot on Saturday. Not only is he LSU's go-to wide receiver, he also handles kickoff and punt returning for the Tigers. 

The preseason All-SEC selection is up there with the best of them when it comes to playmaking ability. Beckham has three plays this season that has gathered 20 or more yards. 

As seen in the video clip, he has already returned one punt for a touchdown this year against North Texas. If it weren't for a block in the back penalty, he would have had two in this game. 

To the matter of receiving, this is a scary matchup for the Auburn secondary. We saw against Clemson what a dangerous deep threat and playmaker can do to the Auburn defensive backs. 

Beckham, Jr. has nine catches this year for 143 yards. Don't be surprised if Zach Mettenberger looks deep early for Odell Beckham, Jr. against Auburn. 

Auburn Will Win If...

What is encouraging for Auburn fans is that some strange things happen in the Auburn vs LSU series. "The Barn Burned" in 1996 and there was the "Interception Game" in 1994.

LSU fans claimed to have created an earthquake by their noise in 1988. The folks at The War Eagle Reader have a different opinion.

What about 1997? Dameyune Craig led Auburn to an upset of then 10th-ranked LSU. You get the point. Weird things have happened.

If fans and the talking heads were always right, there would be no need to play this game on Saturday. We know what is going to happen. LSU is going to march into Jordan-Hare Stadium and not even give the Bengal Tigers a challenge. Just ask Glenn Guilbeau of The Shreveport Times.

But we play the game for a reason. Just maybe, Zach Mettenberger is rattled in his first SEC road start. Maybe the game finally slows down a little for Kiehl Frazier. 

If Auburn has any shot at winning, it starts with winning the turnover battle. That means limiting turnovers on offense and getting a turnover or two from LSU. LSU has only lost two turnovers on the year. 

Kiehl Frazier looked much better last week for three quarters. His confidence was shaken after an early fourth-quarter interception.

The week before, he threw three interceptions against Mississippi State. Before that, one interception against Clemson.

Auburn would have put the game away early last week had Mike Blakely not fumbled one yard away from going into score.

We remember Tre Mason's costly fumble against Clemson that appeared to be a big momentum swing. Auburn is not good enough to win while giving the other team the ball. It simply can't happen if Auburn wants any chance to beat the second-ranked LSU Tigers. 

LSU Will Win If...

LSU will win if it allows less than 100 yards rushing from Auburn. Currently, LSU is allowing only 47 yards rushing per game. That is good enough to be fourth-best in the country and tops in the SEC. If that trend holds true on Saturday, that is bad news for Auburn. 

It will undoubtedly be LSU's focus to stop the run. The Tigers, like other teams, want to make Kiehl Frazier beat them with his arm. If they are successful, then chances are that they have made Frazier throw the ball. Frazier throwing the ball has equated to turnovers so far on this young season. 

Prediction

There is no good reason to logically believe that Auburn is going to come away with a win on Saturday. That's not a knock on Auburn. It's just that LSU is that good. 

Sure, an Auburn upset could happen. After all, Auburn is 10-1 under Chizik in home night games, and according to the media notes, Auburn has never lost a home game on September 22.

It's just not likely.

How is Auburn going to score on these guys? Was the 255 yards rushing against Louisiana-Monroe due to the competition or did Auburn find the right recipe at running back? That rushing performance will be hard to duplicate against LSU. 

When Auburn is on defense, LSU has the skilled playmakers very similar to what Clemson had, if not better. The missed tackles must be cut down.

The defense will benefit from an injury to LSU running back Alfred Blue. It is a hit on LSU's depth, but Kenny Hilliard is a more than capable to shoulder the burden. Hilliard has been very effective early in the season. He has led LSU in rushing so far with six touchdowns and is averaging 100 yards a game through the first three games. 

Gabe Wright and the rest of the interior defensive line must get some push for Auburn to have a chance to contain LSU. 

Auburn makes a game out of it on Saturday for two-and-a-half or three quarters, but LSU pulls away late in the third or early in the fourth. Auburn falls to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the SEC on Saturday. 

LSU 30, Auburn 13.