Westwood One’s coverage of college football continues on Saturday as Auburn hosts LSU. Coverage begins at 6:30 PM Eastern on Westwood One and streaming right here at WestwoodOneSports.com.
For a preview of the game, we turn to our analyst Derek Rackley.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE GAME LIVE
LSU Scouting Report:
We’re witnessing a youth movement for the LSU Tigers. A total of 18 true freshman have already seen action through five games this year and those young bucks have accounted for 20 of the 26 touchdowns for the Tigers. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise; 18 players have been drafted by NFL teams out of LSU in just the past two years. One of those true freshman, QB Brandon Harris, will make his first career start at Jordan-Hare Stadium tonight… Welcome to the SEC! But the youngster out of Bossier City, Louisiana has earned this opportunity, leading the LSU offense to touchdowns on nine of the past ten possessions where he has been the quarterback. Another of those true freshman, Leonard Fournette, the top overall recruit in the 2014 class, has started to hit his stride as well, leading LSU in rushing yards and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with four. Les Miles will need these young fellas to grow up REAL QUICK playing in hostile environment for LSU’s first true road game of the season.
Auburn Scouting Report:
For some reason the defending SEC champions and the team that came up just short of a national title last season aren’t getting the national attention they deserve when discussing College Football Playoff contenders. They’re undefeated and ranked fifth in the country, but very few “experts” that I’ve seen have them penciled into the final four. Well, maybe a victory over Les Miles and company will get them into the discussion. Let’s remember that these LSU Tigers were the last team to hand Auburn a regular season loss back in September 2013. After watching the Kansas State film, I didn’t see the same explosion without Tre Mason in the backfield. But Auburn still possesses an elite running game with a more experienced Nick Marshall along with Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant. However, I could definitely notice growth out of Marshall as a passer. He’s got zip on his throws, I saw a few occasions where he had patience in the pocket and reset his feet while going through his progression, which is a solid step forward. And it doesn’t hurt having a dynamic junior college transfer in D’Haquille Williams at wide receiver. Williams is off to a great start with 23 receptions through four games (more than double any other Auburn pass catcher) and he’s averaging just under 90 receiving yards per game.
One thing I want to see from LSU’s Tigers:
Get after this Auburn run game on defense. LSU has given up 302 rushing yards in a loss to Mississippi State, 268 yards on the ground in a win over Wisconsin and gave up 172 rushing yards last week to New Mexico State. If they’re not sound against the run versus Auburn, they could easily surrender another 200-300 yards rushing to Gus Malzahn’s crew.
One thing I want to see from the Auburn’s Tigers:
Speaking of defense, I want to see this Auburn defensive unit get after a young quarterback and make him uncomfortable the entire game. Yes, sacks and turnovers are always great, but even just consistent pressure in the backfield and clogged up throwing lanes can make any quarterback very uncomfortable, regardless of whether he’s a true freshman getting his first start.
Looking Elsewhere:
It’s hard to narrow down just one game, as this is one of the best weekends of college football around. Six games will feature teams that are BOTH ranked in the top 25. But since I’ll be calling an SEC West game, there’s another pivotal SEC West matchup in Starkville featuring Mississippi St. (who just recently upset LSU) taking on Kenny Hill and the Texas A&M Aggies. The winner of that game will take a huge step towards a berth in the SEC Championship Game and potentially the College Football Playoff.
– Derek Rackley
Jason Benetti and Derek Rackley will have the call from Jordan-Hare Stadium beginning at 6:30 PM ET. You can listen right here on WestwoodOneSports.com!
