By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Somebody cue up Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down A Dream” – the ultimate road trip anthem.
Because No. 18 LSU was on its way home Saturday afternoon from Auburn, Alabama, with its first road win in the Southeastern Conference in two years – 38-17 over Auburn – in front of a quiet Jordan-Hare Stadium by halftime when the Tigers led 31-10 before coasting the rest of the way.
It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
Felt so good, like anything was possible (the rest of this season)
Hit cruise control (in the third quarter)
Put the pedal down (in the first half)
There’s something good waitin’ down this road (the College Football Playoffs?)
Pickin’ up whatever’s mine
Runnin’ down a dream
Petty’s words might as well have been driving the Tigers (6-2, 3-2 SEC), who had lost eight straight road SEC games, dating back to a 38-23 defeat at Texas A&M on Oct. 26, 2024, including two this season at Ole Miss and Kentucky under new coach Lane Kiffin. The Tigers’ last road win was 34-10 at Arkansas on Oct. 19, 2024 – until this cool and crisp afternoon on The Plains.
On this Saturday, LSU thoroughly dominated an Auburn team that just beat No. 1 Georgia, 27-24, on the road last week.
The Tigers put up 552 total yards as well-traveled quarterback Sam Leavitt enjoyed his best game at LSU and elsewhere with a career-high 387 passing yards on 32-of-45 passing with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Leavitt, a former Arizona State starter and Michigan State backup from West Linn, Oregon, also rushed eight times for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Jackson Harris caught nine passes for a career-high 178 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Trey’Dez Green returned from a knee injury that kept him out of four games and caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Dilin Jones could not be stopped at the line of scrimmage as he bulled his way to 92 yards on 21 carries. He put the game away with a 12-yard touchdown run for a 38-10 lead with 13:56 to go in the fourth quarter.
And LSU’s defense behind coordinator Blake Baker made goulash out of first-year head coach Alex Golesh’s offense, limiting those Tigers to 271 total yards and only 67 on the ground with a 1.9-yard average. LSU also sacked Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown seven times, limiting him to a net 21 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Edge rusher Jordan Ross had two of the seven sacks with linebacker Davhon Keys getting one along with seven tackles in all. Linebacker TJ Dottery had six tackles and a sack. Edge rusher Princewill Umanmeilen had five tackles with a sack. Ty Benefield had one of the sacks from the star position as did freshman edge Lamar Brown.
Meanwhile, Brown completed only 15 of 24 passes for a pedestrian 160 yards.
LSU established control immediately and put Auburn out of the game at the end of the first half on a 4-yard touchdown run by Leavitt with :17 remaining for a 31-10 halftime lead. LSU already had 346 yards of offense in the first half to 167.
Leavitt completed 21 of 27 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Harris caught seven of those for 139 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown reception that featured 55 yards of a sprinting Harris after the catch for a 24-10 lead with 4:29 to go before halftime. Harris also caught a 10-yard touchdown from Leavitt for a 10-3 lead with 3:48 left in the first quarter.
Green started for LSU after his month out. He caught four passes for 40 yards with a 15-yard touchdown catch for a 17-3 lead at the 9:48 mark of the second quarter. That touchdown came after a memorable, game-turning 95-yard drive in 14 plays over 4:57. And Kiffin went for it on fourth down and two yards to go from his own 31-yard line early in the second quarter while up only 10-3.
And what number did he and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis call? Green’s No. 7. Leavitt threw short for Green, who caught it in the clear and rumbled for 11 yards. Green finished four catches for 40 yards in the first half.
Jones had 67 yards on 13 carries in the first half.
Baker’s defense held Brown to 27 net yards on 12 carries in the first half, including sacks by Benefield and Umanmielen. But Brown broke pocket containment for a 34-yard scramble to set up his 1-yard touchdown run to get Auburn within 17-10 within 5:42 left in the first half. But Auburn would get no closer.
The Tigers now get an open week to set themselves for a critical stretch of home games against No. 13 Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC) on Nov. 7 and No. 19 Texas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) on Nov. 14 before another road trip to No. 11 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) on Nov. 21 and Arkansas (3-4, 1-3) on Nov. 28.
The road doesn’t look so difficult now.
Goin’ wherever it leads
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