Auburn junior quarterback Cameron Newton’s 223 rushing yards were too much for No. 6 LSU on Saturday night as Auburn beat LSU, 24-17, in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
LSU’s (7-1, 4-1 SEC) two quarterback system failed to produce enough points to overtake Auburn’s grueling ground attack.
No. 5 Auburn (8-0, 5-0) netted 440 rushing yards with the three-headed monster of Newton, freshman running back Michael Dyer and sophomore tailback Onterio McCaleb.
LSU coach Les Miles said containing a 6-foot-6-inch running quarterback was a challenge the whole night.
“We just tackled him high,” Miles said. “We worked in practice at tackling him low and wrapping him up. Sometimes when that person is 250 pounds, it can be a little much.
LSU struggled to produce a consistent running game, focusing on taking advantage of Auburn’s poorly ranked secondary, and only had 115 rushing yards.
The two-quarterback system of junior quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee combined for 89 passing yards.
Auburn junior defensive tackle Nick Fairley was a constant burden in LSU’s backfield. The Mobile, Ala., native had six tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
“Late in the game, No. 90, Nick Fairley broke loose,” Miles said. “He made about three plays in the back end of the game that were pretty significant.”
Auburn now moves into the driver’s seat in the Southeastern Conference as the lone undefeated team.
LSU sits in second place in the SEC West and will enjoy a bye week before facing divisional foe Alabama on Nov. 5 in Tiger Stadium.