After two straight weeks of being on the road against SEC opponents, the Tigers of LSU returned home to Baton Rouge as they took on the Tigers of Auburn. The Bayou Bengals wasted no time putting points on the board and maintained their lead throughout as they improved to 5-2 with a 48-18 win over the Auburn.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU received the ball to begin the game. Logan Diggs got the offense into field goal range with a 35-yard run. Malik Nabers capped off the quick drive with a 29-yard touchdown just 99 seconds into the game.
The defense of LSU forced a three-and-out after there was a wild snap on third down. Daniels drove his offense down the field with his arm and legs as he took a read option down the right side of the field for a 27-yard gain. Auburn’s defense would keep LSU out of the endzone and Damian Ramos kicked a 30-yard field goal to put the Tigers up 10-0 with 6:39 left in the first quarter.
Daniels found John Emery Jr. on a wheel route down the left sideline and took it 49 yards to the Auburn 17-yard line. Emory finished the drive with a one-yard score to put LSU up by 17 late in the opening quarter.
Auburn responded with their first score of the game as Jarquez Hunter found pay dirt from two yards out, cutting their deficit to 10 early in the second period.
Daniels got the LSU offense to within striking range late in the first half and attempted to connect with Nabers again. The ball was batted up in the air and intercepted by Biran Battie. LSU would head to halftime up 20-7.
Auburn got the ball to start the second half as Robby Ashford led the Tigers down the field. Harold Perkins sacked Ashford on third down and Alex McPherson came out for a 38-yard field to make it a 10-point game with 11:35 left in the third quarter.
Kaleb Jackson returned the following kickoff 60 yards to the Auburn 39-yard line. Kyren Lacy made the catch and scored from 25 yards out to put LSU up 27-10 midway through the third quarter.
Following another put by Auburn, Daniels found Lacy again, this time for 57 yards as he avoided multiple defenders down the field. Josh Williams ended the drive with a 13-yard catch that put the Bayou Bengals up 34-10.
To begin the fourth quarter, Ashford, connected with his tight end Brandon Frazier for a three-yard touchdown. Frazier also caught the two-point conversion to cut Auburn’s deficit to 16 with 14:56 left.
LSU would answer right back with an 11-play drive that lasted six minutes and ended with a five-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 41-18 with 8:51 to go in the game.
Auburn would go for it on fourth down after Jordan Jefferson batted down Ashford’s pass at the line of scrimmage. Ashford scrambled out left but was forced out of bounds short of the first down marker.
Williams’ one-yard touchdown with 2:28 left in the game was the final knockout punch for LSU as they topped the Tigers of Auburn 48-18 to improve to 5-2 on the season.
BIG NUMBER: 563
Auburn’s defense was no match for LSU’s offense as they totaled 563 yards compared to the other Tigers’ 293 yards of offense. That efficient unit led to LSU getting the 48-18 win on Saturday in Death Valley.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jayden Daniels
Daniels had another good performance through the air and on the ground as he passed for 325 and three touchdowns on just 20 completions. The LSU quarterback also carried the ball 11 times for 93 yards in a dominant win over Auburn.
UP NEXT: The LSU Tigers will stay home next Saturday as they host Army. Kickoff in Tiger Stadium will be on October 21st at 6:30 p.m.