To see a slideshow of Tiger fans tailgating at Auburn, click here.AUBURN, Ala. — Late-game heroics, an arsenal of trick plays and a young quarterback’s breakthrough earned LSU its first win in Auburn territory since 1998.Trailing by one point with 1:03 remaining, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee connected with junior wide receiver Brandon LaFell for a 18-yard touchdown pass to give No. 6 LSU a 26-21 win over now-No. 15 Auburn.”When [coach] called my number, you should have zoomed in on my eyes in the huddle,” LaFell said. “My eyes got so big. It was crazy.”LSU coach Les Miles said he never doubted his team’s ability to claw back. But if he needed any help getting the point across, junior defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois took the lead with “quite a tirade” when LSU trailed 14-3 at halftime.And his words were fresh on the minds of many LSU players when Auburn’s 21-20 advantage held for more than five minutes in the fourth quarter.With the clock winding down and the game in the hands of a redshirt freshman, Jean-Francois said he never doubted the Tigers’ will to win.”We kept believing in our offense,” he said. “We understand that they struggled in the first half, but we knew they were going to bring it through. They had the heart. They had the ‘Tiger eye.'”Saturday’s showdown between the Tigers provided a slugfest characteristic of the series’ rivalry, complete with constant momentum shifts, alternate jabs and a nail-biting outcome. Only 19 total points have decided the past five meetings, and the LSU victory breaks the eight-year cycle of the home team taking the win.”It was a heck of a football game, as it always is,” Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. “We had the lead, lost it, had the lead again, lost it. We have a disappointed bunch in the locker room because we thought with the way we played at times, we should have won.”Miles praised the play of junior running back Charles Scott, who rushed for 132 yards and became the first LSU running back to break the 100-yard mark at Auburn.The first Southeastern Conference test for young quarterbacks Andrew Hatch and Lee proved to be just the “battle” Miles anticipated.Hatch started for the third consecutive game, and under his lead, LSU settled for just a field goal in the first quarter.Lee entered the game in the second quarter and weathered quite an introduction to SEC play. His first five throws were incomplete, and he dug LSU into a 14-3 hole when Auburn defensive end Gabe McKenzie picked off Lee and returned it for a 24-yard touchdown before halftime.”Unfortunately, I did not make the right decisions the first time, but when they called my name again, I came through,” Lee said.The coaches called Lee’s name sooner than expected when an apparent concussion caused Hatch to leave the game in the third quarter.Lee then led the Tigers to 17 unanswered points, beginning with a 39-yard pass to junior wide receiver Chris Mitchell at the 6:28 mark in the third quarter.The second score came on a halfback pass from junior running back Keiland Williams to senior wide receiver Demetrius Byrd for a 22-yard touchdown to end the third quarter.LaFell said the play was first practiced this week and designed for himself rather than Byrd.”[LaFell] was really supposed to be the high man on that play. But we ran it in practice, and I came up and took his pass,” Byrd said. “He said, ‘Boy, if you do that in the game, I’m going to tackle you on the 1-yard line.’ But we went with it, and it worked perfectly.”The trickery wasn’t just limited to halfback passes. Miles called an onside kick in the third quarter, which was recovered by sophomore cornerback Jai Eugene.”When I have someone who has skill, it wouldn’t be right for me not to call those types of plays,” Miles said.Other than two muffed punt returns by Trindon Holliday, special teams play was a highlight for the Tigers.LSU senior punter Brady Dalfrey averaged 48.3 yards per punt with a long of 59.Senior kicker Colt David kicked a 32-yard field goal with 8:27 remaining in the fourth quarter to give LSU a 20-14 advantage.But Auburn was quick to answer at the 6:40 mark, driving 74 yards for a touchdown in just 1:47 and scoring on quarterback Chris Todd’s 15-yard pass to Robert Dunn.Lee was 4-for-4 on his final drive of 43 yards. He finished the game 11-for-22 for 182 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.Auburn’s Todd was 17-for-32 for 250 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. CLOCK CONFUSIONLSU fans may have noticed a few busted coverage plays and defensive uncertainty uncharacteristic of LSU.One cause, Miles said, was confusion generated from Auburn’s frequent offensive changes before the ball was snapped. This season’s new 40-second play clock in collegiate football is more friendly for teams wanting to make frequent substitutions. With the previous 25-second system, a no-huddle offense had to wait longer for the referee to move out of the way.The result: what Miles called “trial by serious error.” LSU experienced noticeable difficulties making quick defensive adjustments to Auburn’s in-and-out substitutions.”It’s an unbelievably difficult system to… [defend],” Miles said. “The substitution that they allow us to do is really going to be tested. If the officiating is going to allow them to do that, it’s going to be very difficult for us to matchup. I think that’s not what the intent of the 40-second clock is.” —-
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