LSU-Auburn: College Football Zoom-In Game of the Week
Game Time: 3:30 PM ET
Channel: CBS
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Alabama)
In the annual battle of the Tigers, No. 6 LSU will take on No. 5 ranked Auburn led by Heisman front-runner Cameron Newton in a crucial SEC West showdown tomorrow.
Both teams stand at 7-0 on the year with eyes on a a trip to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta at the end of the season.
The two teams look like polar opposites coming into the game as Auburn has relied on the strong quarterback play of Newton to guide them, while LSU has had to make up for inconsistent play on offense; especially at the quarterback position, with strong defensive efforts.
This one is shaping up to be another entertaining SEC affair.
Let’s take a look at the keys and storylines involved with the game.
Auburn Spotlight Player: QB Cameron Newton
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Hey, have you heard about this Cam Newton guy? He’s pretty good.
Apparently the 6‘6 250 lb. junior has been making opposing defenses look foolish with continued regularity this season.
The highly athletic dual threat quarterback has guided the Tigers to success in the first half of the season with the help of both his arm and his legs.
Newton has a total of 25 touchdowns on the season (13 passing, 12 rushing) and is currently one of the highest rated passers in America.
He’s proved to be the perfect fit as the point man for Gus Malzahn’s offensive attack.
LSU Spotlight Player: DT Drake Nevis
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At just 6‘1 285 lbs, Drake Nevis isn’t the biggest defensive tackle in the country, but he’s probably the hardest working.
Nevis has a motor that never stops and his ability to cause havoc in the middle is quite evident.
The senior leads the team with 11.5 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks; numbers that both rank in the top three in the SEC.
Nevis is stout against the run and has the ability to push the pocket and disrupt a quarterback’s timing and flow.
Les Miles Always Making Things Interesting
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If you love him or hate him, you have to give LSU head coach Les Miles credit for one thing: he usually makes things interesting!
Whether it be the utter management disaster at the end of the Tennessee game, or the Fake Field goal against Florida that came within inches of being ruled an incomplete pass, it seems like Miles is trying to flirt with the “how can I look the silliest and still win the game” approach this season.
You have to wonder how long that kind of strategy will take to pay off.
"Clock it!"
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
BCS Implications
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In College Football’s initial BCS Rankings announced on ESPN this past Sunday, the Auburn Tigers ranked No. 4 behind Boise State, Oregon, and Oklahoma. LSU ranked No. 6 sitting directly behind TCU.
Whichever team wins this game will likely receive a major boost from the computers for beating a top 10 opponent.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the winner leapfrog into the top three of this week's standings.
History
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LSU has won the last three games in this match up including last year’s 31-10 domination.
There have been some close, interesting contests between these two recently, especially the game in 2007 when Demetrius Byrd caught a late touchdown pass to give LSU the 30-24 victory.
The call started Les Miles’ legend as a gutsy gambler.
Could we see a similar close finish in tomorrow’s game?
Auburn Offense vs. LSU Defense
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We all know where Auburn’s offense begins: with supremely talented quarterback Cameron Newton. But don’t think that there aren’t other capable players on the offensive unit.
The Tigers have three versatile running backs in Onterio McCalebb, Michael Dyer and Mario Fannin. Dyer could be the best of the three but it’s McCalebb who has the speed to be the real home run threat.
On the outside, Auburn has a receiver in Darvin Adams who can stretch the field and make the big catch when necessary.
The real key for LSU’s defense will be Newton though. There’s no doubt that they will be trying to force the big quarterback to beat them with his arm, while they try to contain his running ability.
The LSU defense will be Newton’s toughest test of the season. It should be interesting to see how he responds now that his running and throwing lanes will be a little bit tighter.
Auburn Offensive Lineup
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Quarterback: Cameron Newton (2)
Running Back: Mario Fannin (27)
Wide Receiver: Darvin Adams (89)
Wide Receiver: Terrell Zachery (81)
Wide Receiver: Eric Smith (32)
Tight End: Phillip Lutzenkirchen (43)
Left Tackle: Lee Ziemba (73)
Left Guard: Mike Berry (66)
Center: Ryan Pugh (50)
Right Guard: Byron Isom (57)
Right Tackle: Brandon Mosley (75)
LSU Defensive Lineup
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Defensive Tackle: Drake Nevis (92)
Defensive Tackle: Lazarius Levingston (95)
Defensive End: Sam Montgomery (99)
Defensive End: Kendrick Adams (94)
Middle Linebacker: Kelvin Sheppard (11)
Outside Linebacker: Stefoin Francois (23)
Outside Linebacker: Ryan Baker (22)
Cornerback: Patrick Peterson (7)
Cornerback: Morris Claiborne (17)
Strong Safety: Brandon Taylor (15)
Free Safety: Jai Eugene (4)
LSU Offense vs. Auburn Defense
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There’s no way to dance around the fact that LSU’s offense has been very disappointing this season.
It starts with the lack of consistency at the quarterback position. Neither Jordan Jefferson nor Jarrett Lee has looked like the answer, and the down field passing attack has been almost nonexistent for the better part of the season.
If the Tigers can’t get it done through the air then they'll likely have to turn to their saving grace, running back Stevan Ridley.
Ridley has rushed for 686 yards this season but it could be hard for him to find room trying to run into the teeth of the Auburn defense.
Big defensive tackle Nick Fairley has been dominant all season long, and Auburn’s linebacking trio led by Josh Bynes is an athletic bunch that can run around and make tackles.
LSU Offensive Lineup
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Quarterback: Jordan Jefferson (9)
Running Back: Stevan Ridley (34)
Wide Receiver: Terrence Tolliver (80)
Wide Receiver: Rueben Randle (2)
Wide Receiver: Russell Shepard (10)
Tight End: Deangelo Peterson (19)
Left Tackle: Joseph Barksdale (78)
Left Guard: Josh Dworaczyk (68)
Center: P.J. Lonergan (64)
Right Guard: T-Bob Hebert (53)
Right Tackle: Alex Hurst (72)
Auburn Defensive Lineup
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Defensive Tackle: Nick Fairley (90)
Defensive Tackle: Zach Clayton (98)
Defensive End: Antoine Carter (45)
Defensive End: Nosa Equae (94)
Middle Linebacker: Josh Bynes (17)
Outside Linebacker: Craig Stevens (46)
Outside Linebacker: Darren Bates (25)
Cornerback: Demond Washington (14)
Cornerback: Neiko Thorpe (15)
Strong Safety: Zac Etheridge (4)
Free Safety: Mike McNeil (26)
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
