Auburn's Matchup vs. LSU Will Once Again Set the Tone for the Tigers' Season

AUBURN, Ala. — Look at Auburn's 2013 results and try to find a turning point for the team that would later become the SEC champion.

Your eyes would probably be drawn to the Oct. 19 game in College Station, Texas, when the Tigers upset a Top 10 Texas A&M in a dramatic 45-41 shootout.

Think about it. After the trip to the Lone Star State, Auburn immediately jumped to No. 11, recorded a pair of big conference wins on the road and pulled off back-to-back all-time great finishes against Georgia and Alabama. 

But if you give that same task to the Tigers coaches and players, they would point your attention toward a road game a few weeks before the road upset of the Aggies—a 35-21 loss to LSU in Baton Rouge.

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Although it was the team's only loss before the BCS National Championship Game against Florida State, the 2013 "Tiger Bowl" put Auburn on the road to a conference title and the biggest turnaround in college football history.

"That was one of the defining moments of our entire year last year at halftime. And we got embarrassed in the first half," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. "They got after us real good. Not a whole lot was good in offense, defense or special teams. Our guys decided at halftime that hey, they weren't going to shut her down. They were going to keep fighting. And we fought back, and it really gave us some momentum for the rest of the season."

Although the end result wasn't ideal, Auburn entered the game against LSU undefeated and left with momentum that eventually led to the national title game.

A little over one year later, Auburn finds itself in a similar situation heading into the matchup with the Bayou Bengals.

Even with a road victory against a ranked Kansas State team and a commanding win against an increasingly powerful Arkansas team, Malzahn's team sits just outside of a lot of the playoff discussion, behind teams such as Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma and Alabama.

The high-powered offense isn't firing on all cylinders to start the season, and one of the country's most improved defenses hasn't gone through the rigors of a big-time SEC matchup yet.

But now Auburn has one, and its players say they are ready to get that important statement victory.

"It’s time to step it up," senior cornerback Jonathon Mincy said. "This is what we came to Auburn to do. We want to compete with the best, and we pride ourselves with going out there and staying consistent."

LSU might be down after its stunning home loss to Mississippi State two weeks ago, but the visiting set of Tigers seem to have more continuity among their offense with talented true freshman Brandon Harris leading the way.

While LSU has taken its lumps against opposing rushing attacks, its secondary continues to be one of the best in the country in both pass efficiency and yards allowed.

And then, of course, there is defensive coordinator John Chavis' impressive record against Malzahn and Co.

Year	Result	Passing Yards	Rushing Yards	Yards per Play
2009	LSU 31 - Auburn 10	81	112	3.16
2010	Auburn 24 - LSU 17	86	440	7.74
2011	LSU 45 - Auburn 10	161	87	4.28
2013	LSU 35 - Auburn 21	224	213	5.14

"John Chavis has done it for a long time," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "They whipped us last year, especially in the first half. Our guys should be very motivated to play better in this game, and there's no question we've struggled a little bit against LSU in the past. It's a great credit to them and to coach Chavis. They do a really good job of what they do."

With or without Malzahn, Auburn has still struggled to win this important SEC West rivalry game in recent years. LSU has taken seven of the last 10 matchups, and Auburn's three victories were all nail-biters—10-9 in 2004, 7-3 in 2006 and 24-17 in 2010. 

The vast majority of Auburn's team has never defeated LSU, and several seniors have not ignored that frustrating bit of trivia.

"Our goal is to win number five, that’s the number," senior center Reese Dismukes said. "Obviously, in the back of your mind, I think that’s the only team in the SEC I haven’t beaten. That would be nice, but it’s not about that. It’s about being 5-0 and doing whatever you’ve got to do to help this team win and be 5-0."

Getting a victory against a rival that has been nothing but trouble in recent years would be extremely important for Auburn.

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Even though LSU doesn't have an unbeaten record, it still is a divisional contender that will be the toughest test to date.

How Auburn passes—or fails—that test will go a long way in determining the outcome of the season. 

If Auburn can fix some of its execution issues against a young and hungry LSU team that will be fighting to stay alive in a brutal SEC West race, then it could be the momentum boost it needs to jump into the middle of the playoff picture.

Auburn will want to avoid the result of last year's meeting, but it will still want to get the same benefits ahead of another tough journey through the conference schedule.

"Last year, that game really turned our heads," senior running back Corey Grant said. "It made us realize what we were capable of."

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.

Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU.