LSU vs. Auburn: Score and Twitter Reaction

Auburn didn't get the memo that it was upset Saturday for the top national title contenders.

Amid one of the worst weeks for the nation's elite in recent memory, the fifth-ranked Tigers rose up to the challenge in their SEC West showdown with No. 15 LSU. They jumped out to an early lead and didn't look back, cruising to a 41-7 victory Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall took care of business both in the air and on the ground, with four first-half touchdowns—two passing and two rushing—paving the way for a 31-7 halftime advantage. He finished with 333 total yards and four total touchdowns, re-emerging as an outside Heisman Trophy contender in Auburn's most impressive victory since the historic 2013 Iron Bowl.

A dual-threat quarterback on the other side made his first start, but LSU's Brandon Harris was worlds less effective. The freshman went just 3-of-13 for 58 yards and rushed for 36 yards before being pulled in favor of Anthony Jennings—who failed to generate any success to put the pressure on Auburn late in the second half.

Here's a look at the final box score:

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
LSU	7	0	0	0	7
Auburn	17	14	3	7	41

The next-biggest result for Auburn happened many hundred miles west, as in-state rivals Alabama fell to Ole Miss—just another shakeup after Oregon, Oklahoma and Texas A&M all fell from the ranks of the unbeaten this weekend. As 247Sports' Justin Hokanson noted, Jordan-Hare Stadium reacted accordingly:

It goes without saying that Auburn is among the best in the nation at running the ball in Malzahn's speedy system, but an improved passing game in 2014 has taken the offense to another level—especially when the run game struggles. Justifiably, LSU made it a keen focus heading into Saturday.

"From what I see, Nick is making big-time plays," LSU cornerback Tre'Davious White told NOLA.com's Randy Rosetta. "His line is helping out and he has some big targets to throw to. The big difference is that the passing game has come around."

Those comments proved to be right on the money early in Saturday's game. After notching a field goal on his opening drive, Marshall struck with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates to make things 10-0 just halfway through the first.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

By the end of the first, the Tigers held a 17-7 advantage with Marshall throwing the ball on 11 of Auburn's 22 plays—a balanced line for many teams, but not the rush-happy Tigers.

Marshall came up throwing again to start the second, connecting with C.J. Uzomah for a nine-yard score to blow things open at 24-7. 

Instead of running to set up the pass, Auburn passed to set up the run. It ran on five of its seven plays on an 81-yard scoring drive just before halftime, capped off by Marshall's 29-yard scamper for a score that made it 31-7.

That rush came on 3rd-and-8 when LSU was threatening to make a stop and trim the deficit before half, as Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee noted:

At halftime, Marshall had outgained his opponent all by himself, per Rivals.com:

While Auburn's offense soared, LSU's continued to sputter. That was never on better display than just before halftime, when Harris led the Tigers down the field only for time to run out on 1st-and-10 when he overthrew Travin Dural for a would-be touchdown—making it 31-7 at halftime.

Harris was flustered and frustrated all of the first half, and it didn't get any better in the second. After a pair of three-and-outs to open the second half, Harris was benched for Jennings—who finished out the blowout loss.

With another quarterback switch, ESPN SEC wondered if we might see two gunslingers for each team next weekend when LSU faces Florida—a team with its own quarterback controversy:

"

Anthony Jennings gets to make his case. We could see FOUR quarterbacks next week when Florida hosts LSU.

— ESPN SEC (@ESPN_SEC) October 5, 2014"

LSU's defense held Auburn to just a field goal in the third period, meaning Jennings had the daunting task of generating some scores and getting the Tigers back in the game. 

Instead, he ended up not looking any better than Harris. He went three-and-out on his opening possession, and turned the ball over on downs his next time up.

As Russ Mitchell of SEC14 put best, the shortcomings continued under center for LSU:

The game was pretty much already put away by that point with Auburn's defense proving impenetrable after conceding a first-quarter touchdown. But to put the icing on the cake, the Tigers rushed down the field following that turnover on downs and capped off a 76-yard drive with Corey Grant's 12-yard score.

That made it 41-7 and made the final 8:44 nothing but tuneup action for both teams entering the rest of their SEC gauntlets. LSU tried to score a garbage-time touchdown but was denied just minutes before the final horn sounded.

As ESPN SEC analyzed, the grit of Auburn's defense was on display despite the lopsided scoreline:

"

Gotta give Auburn's defense its due. Much improved, much more physical and playing really hard despite the blowout.

— ESPN SEC (@ESPN_SEC) October 5, 2014"

After the 60-minute drubbing, Fox Sports' Clay Travis was convinced of Auburn's superiority:

Entering Saturday as a desperate team, LSU suffered what could be a death sentence after the result from Jordan-Hare Stadium. Already with two SEC losses, the Tigers will have to win out and hope the SEC West continues to beat itself up from top to bottom—the former seems awfully unlikely given how they're currently playing.

A loss to Mississippi State on Sept. 20 took them out of the Top 10, and one more defeat next weekend at Florida—who won its 10th straight against Tennessee Saturday—will take the Tigers out of the Top 25 picture altogether.

As for Auburn, the jubilation of Saturday's home win and Alabama's loss won't last long. The Tigers face Mississippi State on the road next weekend, which will go a long way to decide who will be contending for the SEC West.

The Tigers are in great position after Saturday, especially considering what happened all around them. But the biggest questions they face are in their upcoming gauntlet schedule, and they'd better be ready to answer them.