Yet another chapter was added to the crazy story that is the Auburn-LSU rivalry on Saturday.
After going down 17-0 in the second quarter, LSU rallied, scoring 21 unanswered points en route to a comeback win. It was another typical slow start for the LSU offense, failing to score an offensive touchdown until the dying minutes of the first half.
The momentum started before then, though. Earlier in the second quarter, LSU got on the scoreboard for the first time after Jay Ward recovered a fumble for a touchdown, forced by BJ Ojulari. This was just the start of what went on to be the story of the game: turnovers.
LSU forced four Auburn turnovers, with three of them coming in the fourth quarter. This went on to be the difference in the game with LSU finishing +3 in the turnover margin.
The flow of this game kept with the trend of LSU’s Power Five games so far this season. LSU got off to a slow start, before being propelled by a big second half performance. Like the Mississippi State game, LSU was able to get on the board in the second quarter to build momentum going into the second half.
Offensively, LSU could never get much going until the end of the half. That late momentum seemed to have an effect in the third quarter, though. John Emery Jr. broke off an impressive 20-yard touchdown run, to give LSU the lead. Emery and Josh Williams both stepped up for LSU in the backfield, and Williams talked about the shift in the second half.
“There was a lot of confusion and a lot of stuff going on in that first half, but when we came back at halftime, we reset,” Williams said. “We refocused and we came back with a better mindset. We came back and we felt like in the second half the emphasis was to get the running game going.”
That Emery touchdown would be the last points scored by either team in the game. From there it was a battle of defenses, and who could avoid turning the ball over. That was a battle that LSU won.
LSU’s offense continued to stall in the fourth quarter, but every time Auburn got a chance, there was a costly turnover. Among those turnovers, two stuck out and will likely stick with Auburn for a while when assessing this game.
The first came when Auburn was driving early on in the fourth quarter and decided to run a trick play near the sideline. Wide receiver and former LSU player Koy Moore got the ball on a toss and rolled out to make a pass but threw the ball directly into the hands of Harold Perkins. That killed what would’ve been at least three valuable points for Auburn.
The second notable turnover, and the subsequent dagger, once again involved the aforementioned Moore. As he caught a pass on a curl from quarterback Robby Ashford, he had the ball ripped away by LSU safety Greg Brooks Jr. Brooks’ heroics allowed LSU to run out the clock and secure the win, also earning him the game ball from Head Coach Brian Kelly.
“It meant a lot,” Brooks said, describing his performance. “My dad told me right before the game to make big time plays. So I made the play and I was very grateful.”
This was by no means a pretty performance from LSU, but still a crucial road win. This was the first road win for this young team, and one to build on as SEC play continues.
“At the end of the day, there’s a saying in golf, ‘there are no pictures on the scorecard, it is just what you score.’ Tonight, there’s no pictures on the scorecard for us,” Kelly said.
“We just found a way to win this game. That’s what you are really trying to do in the SEC West. It’s tough competition going on the road with the crowd you have to overcome. Is that our best performance? I hope not. But, it was gutting. It was gritty. It was one that I was proud of how our guys hung in there after being down 17-0. That’s a program win, where you are doing the right things to win a game like that.”
