No. 18 LSU travels to Jordan-Hare Stadium to face Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 24, with kickoff set for noon ET on ABC. The LSU vs Auburn Oct. 24 matchup pits a Tigers team still absorbing a pair of last-minute losses against an Auburn squad fresh off one of the biggest upsets of the season.
LSU enters at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play under first-year head coach Lane Kiffin. Auburn sits at 4-2, also 2-2 in conference, after knocking off then-No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in Athens as three-touchdown underdogs. That result drew Auburn 61 votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, though the Tigers remain outside the rankings.
LSU Vs. Auburn Game Information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
- TV: ABC
- Weather: 64 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation
By The Numbers
- Points per game: LSU 40.4, Auburn 26.8
- Total offense per game: LSU 504.0 yards, Auburn 394.2 yards
- Passing yards per game: LSU 308.0, Auburn 212.2
- Rushing yards per game: LSU 196.0, Auburn 182.0
- Third-down conversion rate: LSU 53.33%, Auburn 45.05%
- Sacks allowed per game: LSU 1.7, Auburn 3.8
- Sacks recorded per game: LSU 3.9, Auburn 2.7
- Turnover differential (season): LSU -1, Auburn +2
LSU Outlook
LSU brings the SEC’s most productive offense into Auburn, averaging 40.4 points and 504.0 total yards per game. Quarterback Sam Leavitt has completed 148 of 211 passes for 1,785 yards with 14 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and the Tigers have leaned on a deep rushing attack led by Dilin Jones, who has 566 yards and five scores on 128 carries.
Despite the offensive numbers, LSU’s two losses this season both came in the closing minutes, a 32-24 setback at Ole Miss and a 35-34 overtime defeat at Kentucky two weeks ago. The Tigers bounced back with a 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State on Oct. 17, and their defense has generated 27 sacks through seven games, an average of 3.9 per contest.
Auburn Outlook
Auburn arrives off the signature win of Alex Golesh’s first season as head coach. The Tigers trailed Georgia 14-0 in the first quarter before reeling off 24 unanswered points, forcing three turnovers and getting a 34-yard field goal from Alex McPherson as time expired to win 27-24. It marked Auburn’s first win between the hedges in Athens since 2005.
Quarterback Byrum Brown drove that comeback with his legs, rushing 26 times for 115 yards and a touchdown against Georgia, and he leads Auburn in both passing (1,205 yards, eight touchdowns) and rushing (459 yards, five touchdowns) this season. Auburn’s defense complemented the effort, with Elijah Melendez and Bryce Deas combining for 17 tackles and Melendez intercepting Gunner Stockton. Still, the win came with warning signs: Auburn committed 11 penalties and dropped five passes, and data scientist Parker Fleming noted the performance carried the worst net success rate among all FBS wins in Week 7, according to CBS Sports.
Golesh has tried to temper expectations in the days since. “There’s no, like, all right, catch your breath. There is no catching your breath,” Golesh said of the stretch of games ahead, per CBS Sports. Auburn also dismissed defender Xavier Atkins this week after he indicated plans to transfer.
Key Matchup
LSU’s passing attack, which averages 308.0 yards per game behind Leavitt and receiver Jackson Harris (456 yards, five touchdowns), will test an Auburn defense that already surrendered 44 points to Florida and struggled with penalties and dropped passes even in victory over Georgia. Auburn’s pass rush has managed 16 sacks through six games, well behind LSU’s offensive line, which has allowed just 1.7 sacks per game, the fewest rate in the matchup.
On the other side, Auburn’s ground game built around Brown’s mobility will face an LSU defense that has posted 3.9 sacks per game and 41 tackles for loss this season. How LSU contains Brown as a runner, after he gashed Georgia for 115 yards, could determine whether Auburn can sustain long scoring drives against a defense that has not allowed a point in its last outing against Mississippi State.
Players To Watch
Sam Leavitt, LSU quarterback
Leavitt has thrown for 1,785 yards and 14 touchdowns this season and will look to exploit an Auburn secondary that just gave up big plays in the second half against Georgia before tightening late.
Byrum Brown, Auburn quarterback
Brown accounted for all of Auburn’s rushing production in the Georgia upset and remains the engine of an offense that needs his dual-threat ability to keep pace with LSU’s scoring.
Dilin Jones, LSU running back
Jones has carried the ball 128 times for 566 yards and five touchdowns, giving LSU a power running complement to its passing game against an Auburn front that allows 182.0 rushing yards per game.
What To Watch
Auburn is trying to prove its win over Georgia was not an outlier after a season that has included a home loss to Florida and a four-three-and-out start in a loss to Tennessee. LSU, meanwhile, is looking to show its two defeats were aberrations rather than a pattern, with both coming by a single possession in the final minutes. Both programs are coached by first-year hires, Kiffin at LSU and Golesh at Auburn, adding another layer to how each handles the SEC gauntlet in late October.
Kentucky matchup that preceded it. Auburn’s performance against Georgia is detailed further in the Auburn vs. Georgia preview from Total Apex Sports.
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