By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Auburn celebrated a 27-24 win at No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, and it got the massive upset without one of its defensive stars. Junior linebacker Xavier Atkins was not available for the trip to Athens, Georgia because of a disciplinary issue, and head coach Alex Golesh did not confirm whether he would be back to welcome LSU.
“We’re still working through it,” Golesh said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “We’re continuing to work through it. I don’t have an update right now.”
No. 18 LSU (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) visits Auburn (4-2, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday. Kickoff in Jordan-Hare Stadium is set for 11 a.m. (ABC).
Atkins spent his freshman season at LSU but transferred to Auburn after he played in seven games and recorded three tackles. He was a second-team All-America and first-team All-SEC selection last season after totaling 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks in twelve starts. Through his first five games this year, Atkins is second on the team with 37 tackles and three sacks.
The Tigers got by just fine without their second-leading tackler, though. They held Georgia to 113 rushing yards and forced three turnovers, which Golesh called the difference in the game. The Bulldogs converted just 50% of their third downs and scored under 35 points for just the second time this season.
Despite its performance against Georgia, Atkins’s absence would still be a major loss for Auburn against LSU. He has the third-highest Pro Football Focus pass rush grade among linebackers (91.4) and also ranks third with 11 hurries this season, according to PFF.
Be the first to comment