No. 22 LSU hosts Auburn as SEC West race takes shape

2023-10-13 01:19

No. 22 LSU needs a victory over visiting Auburn on Saturday to remain in control of its fate in the SEC Western Division race

Auburn (3-2, 0-2 SEC) at No. 22 LSU (4-2, 3-1), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Line: LSU by 11 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: LSU leads 32-24-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

LSU is coming off a big victory at Missouri and needs to win to remain in control of its fate in the seemingly wide-open SEC West race. Auburn is chasing its first conference victory and first triumph over a ranked team this season.

KEY MATCHUP

Auburn has struggled to pass the ball and LSU has been equally lousy defending the pass. Something has to give. Auburn is 119th of 130 FBS teams in passing offense, averaging just 156.2 yards a game with a paltry five touchdowns. LSU is 119th in defending the pass, giving up 282.7 yards on average along with 15 scoring passes.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Auburn: QB Payton Thorne appears to have a firm hold on the starting job but had more rushing yards (92) than passing (82) against No. 1 Georgia. This could be a chance to get the passing game going. Backup Robby Ashford passed for 337 yards against LSU last season and still figures to play a role.

LSU: Dual threat QB Jayden Daniels leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 in the nation in total offense with 398.5 yards per game (328.2 passing, 70.3 rushing). Daniels has accounted for four or more TDs in five consecutive games, the longest such streak in school history.

FACTS & FIGURES

The home team has won 18 of the last 23 meetings in the series. LSU leads 19-6-1 at Tiger Stadium. ... These teams are not scheduled to play one another next season, ending a 32-year streak of annual match-ups. ... Auburn has scored 17 touchdowns, 12 of them on the ground. ... Auburn’s Jaylin Simpson has four interceptions to tie for the national lead (.80 per game). He was the first Auburn player with interceptions in three straight games since Jerraud Powers in 2007. ... LSU WR Brian Thomas' nine TDs receiving were the most in the nation through last weekend's games. He’s caught 37 passes for 603 yards. ... Fellow LSU WR Malik Nabers is No. 2 in the nation in yards receiving (771), while his 46 catches rank second in the SEC and fifth nationally. ... RB Logan Diggs had his second straight 100-yard game last week vs. Missouri with a career-high 134 yards and a TD rushing.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll