Five After the Final: LSU takes Auburn down comfortably in Jordan-Hare Stadium

For the Auburn Tigers, a return trip home after one of the biggest wins in program history was hopeful to be a game that saw Alex Golesh’s squad come out with an intensity to start 5-2 for the first time since 2021.

However, that was not the case, and it was LSU Head Coach Lane Kiffin who had something to say about that.

The LSU Tigers walked into Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday on the brink of bowl eligibility after a 31-10 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs and kept their momentum going, taking Auburn down with ease 38-17.

It was a day that saw LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt pass for more yards than Auburn had total yards, and Auburn put up a number of points, not moving the ball in any capacity.

The loss moves Auburn to 4-3 on the season and 2-3 in SEC play, while LSU gets Kiffin’s team up to 6-2 with bowl eligibility clinched and its hope for the College Football Playoff still alive.

Here are five defining traits from the most recent edition of the Tiger Bowl in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

Auburn’s defense not able to stop the pass

There was a reason that Sam Leavitt was one of the most highly sought after quarterbacks in the transfer portal following the 2025 season. When Lane Kiffin saw that, he knew that it was a must-get pickup. That being said, while Leavitt may eight interceptions on the year, he still had 14 touchdowns coming into the day, meaning he had the talent to make plays with his arm.

That he did, as Leavitt torched the Auburn defense for more than 350 yards in the air on 45 passes. His favorite receiver? None other than Jackson Harris, as the speedster totaled nearly 200 yards with a long of 70 yards. Now most of the effort came in the first half, but with the halftime score having sat at 31-10, it put Auburn in a deep enough hole where it needed a big surge to come back. The defense could not force turnovers though, and the offense could not move the ball, leading to a masterful day for the offense of Charlie Weis Jr.

Sacks once again a problem

The question to the offensive line after a pretty positive outing in Athens was if it could withstand the test that LSU would bring to the table. The answer to that question was no, an emphatic one at that.

Five sacks made up the day for the LSU defense, who seemed to live in the backfield. In fact, the seven sacks made up more than half of the team’s tackles for loss, which sat at 12. LSU was led by two sacks from Jordan Ross, a transfer from Tennessee that has consistently risen his NFL stock from week to week. He and Princewill Umanmielen combined for four tackles for loss, putting together a statement day for the duo on the defensive line.

Auburn’s rush game could not put together a repeat performance

What made Auburn’s performance fairly seamless against Georgia in Athens was the fact that its offense was balanced and evenly spread out between the pass and rush yardage. On Saturday, that was not the case, as there was a large disparity in the two phases.

Auburn put up 192 yards on the ground in the upset victory, and against LSU, it only put 46 on the day, with no single player getting above 30 yards. Auburn also had 46 carries against Georgia. Meanwhile against LSU, it only put up 35 attempts.

While it may have been a different game plan and different planned tactics, the success was not there. When the success is not there against a Lane Kiffin-led squad, things can go from bad to worse quickly.

Punter on the field too much 

When the punter is on the field more drives than not in a game, it is simply not a good sign for what happened with a team’s offensive production. That was the case with the Aubrn offense on Saturday. Auburn punted the ball seven times in the loss out its 11 drives of the game, something that put the team in a bad situation throughout the day. That was also the case in three out of its first four drives of the day, allowing LSU to capitalize and increase its lead.

LSU’s knack for “big plays”

One of the big things that defined the first half was the big plays. Overall, it was the big plays that had LSU’s offense rolling. The offense of Weis put together 17 “big plays” according to StatBroadcast, which is any passing play of 15 or more yards or any rush of 10 or more. Two of those were for 20 or more yards, both of which were passing plays. It was simply a testament to the success that LSU had on offense all day long.