LSU Football: What to know about the Auburn Tigers for Week 7

LSU Football enters Week 7 in need of another SEC West win as they look to remain on the winning path. Standing in their way are the 3-2 Auburn Tigers.

The latest installment of the “Tiger Bowl” is a game neither team can afford to lose. The 2023 season remains young, but most SEC teams’ paths are becoming apparent.

On the LSU Football sideline, Brian Kelly’s team is on the mend following a disappointing Week 5 loss at Ole Miss. The purple and gold Tigers rolled into Columbia last week and knocked off an undefeated Missouri team. However, LSU remains staring up at Alabama in the SEC West standings.

Indeed, Kelly’s team cannot afford to lose on Saturday night.

On the Auburn sideline, Hugh Freeze’s team is desperate for an SEC win. The newest orange and blue Tigers’ head coach has preached patience through his first season, but such is easier said than done. Freeze has to know that the boo-birds will start drowning out the war eagle chants if his team returns to the Plains 0-3 in SEC action.

Expect Auburn to play as though their season is on the line.

LSU Football is home, but Auburn is rested

Regardless of where either team is in the standings in a given season, a “Tiger Bowl” on a Saturday night in Death Valley is as good as it gets.

LSU has to be looking forward to playing in Baton Rouge after a pair of close contests on the road. We expect purple and gold Tigers fans to be jacked and provide their team with a home-field advantage that is among college football’s best.

Nevertheless, Auburn has an advantage in extra rest. The orange and blue Tigers were idle in Week 6, following a physical Week 5 game against Georgia.

Indeed, there’s an advantage when one team has an extra week to rest and study their next opponent.

Auburn isn’t as bad of a team as many fans assume

Some LSU Football fans are too confident for my liking. I saw a couple of posts on the Death Valley Voice socials predicting an LSU blowout win on Saturday.

I think the Bayou Bengals will come away with a win, but it won’t be that easy.

Auburn was 3-1 heading into their Week 5 game against Georgia and went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs. Georgia beat the orange and blue Tigers 27-20, but the game was not decided until the final drive.

Freeze’s program is transitioning, but they’re better than I assumed before the season started. Moreover, I don’t have much respect for Payton Thorne as an SEC quarterback, but he showed a knack for making big plays against the Dawgs.

Something else LSU fans must consider is that the Auburn defense is ranked 25th in total defense in the country. Overall, they’re much better than Florida State’s 79th-ranked unit.

Watching the high-powered LSU offense clash with Auburn’s defense will be interesting. Don’t be surprised if we experience the low-scoring first half in Death Valley on Saturday.