The Daily Reveille sports editor Christian Boutwell sat down with The Auburn Plainsman football beat writer Sam Butler to preview LSU-Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
CHRISTIAN BOUTWELL: LSU’s quarterback situation hasn’t been the most … let’s say smooth sailing through three games. But Auburn is in a bit of a situation of its own. Should LSU expect to see two quarterbacks, like it has in recent years, or just Sean White, who was named the starter on Tuesday?
Sam Butler: Honestly, either outcome wouldn’t surprise me. [Auburn coach] Gus [Malzahn]  is tinkering and micromanaging the offense to a degree we really haven’t seen so far, so who really knows what he’s going to trot out next. Based on what he’s said, though, I’d expect to see a heavy dose of Sean White. Rolling with White — and only White — against Arkansas State worked wonders, but it stalled against Texas A&M. John Franklin III will be available “if needed,” but that could mean a half-dozen different things. Franklin took over for White late against A&M to give the offense “a shot in the arm,” and it worked for the most part.
BOUTWELL: If LSU’s passing game isn’t performing well, like it hasn’t in recent years, the team has a fail-safe in Leonard Fournette to dump the ball off to. Who are Auburn’s fail-safe guys to go for production on offense?
Butler: Well, there’s obviously nobody of Fournette’s caliber on Auburn’s offense. At least, nobody that we know of. Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway are seventh and eighth in the SEC in rushing, respectively, so those guys have been the ones who have shouldered the load offensively, at least while the QB situation is getting worked out. As far as receivers, seniors Tony Stevens and Marcus Davis have been pretty reliable so far, but they’re not home-run threats.
BOUTWELL: Auburn’s defense this season seems to be a bit stronger than it was last season, is that so? If so, how (and where) has it improved? What is the strongest — and what is the weakest — position group on Auburn’s defense?
Butler: The strongest has to be the defensive line, which might be the deepest and most talented Auburn’s had in a while. Carl Lawson’s one of the premier pass rushers in the nation, and he’s flanked by two other five-stars in Montravius Adams and freshman Marlon Davidson. Every other member of the two-deep there is either a four or five-star recruit, including Byron Cowart, who was the No. 1 recruit in the country in 2015.
As for the weakest, it’d have to be the secondary, which got depleted by injuries and a suspension early on. They held Clemson to almost no big plays, but have given up a couple to Arkansas State and Texas A&M.
BOUTWELL: Is there a matchup that scares Auburn the most?
Butler: Similar to what you said, but the other way around. LSU’s front seven is terrifyingly fast and strong, and Auburn’s offensive line has had a myriad of issues so far. Auburn is dead last in the country in negative plays allowed with 32, and even though two of the three defenses they faced were above-average to good, last in the nation ain’t good.
BOUTWELL: Do you think Auburn, if the quarterbacks are struggling, will find other ways to score points? If so, how? How has Auburn’s offense been as a whole lately?
Butler: Honestly, probably not. We saw last week against A&M what happens when the QBs struggle, and what happens is not pretty. Defenses key in on stopping Johnson and Pettway, and the pass rushers can pin their ears back and bull rush the quarterback. Getting White (and Franklin, if it should come to that) in a rhythm quickly and consistently is going to be key if Auburn wants to pull this win out.
BOUTWELL: A lot of the talk around Baton Rouge this week is about former LSU defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s defense at Auburn. How has his transition to Auburn been? Also, Dameyune Craig’s Auburn connection is interesting, since he’s now LSU’s wide receivers coach and was a former QB at Auburn. What have Auburn’s players said about Craig and Steele this week?
Butler: Kevin Steele’s settled in nicely, which isn’t what a lot of people expected when the hire was announced. He represented Auburn’s third defensive coordinator in three years, and the Tigers were going to have to readjust yet again to a new scheme. However, Steele’s scheme isn’t that different from Muschamp’s, so the transition has been smooth, and the defense has looked the best it has in a long while. As for Dameyune, the players haven’t said much, other than that the receivers talk to him every now and then. Gus, never one to open up too much, kind of sidestepped the question when he was asked about it.
BOUTWELL: How do you think this weekend will shape out? Prediction? Thoughts?
Butler: This game is huge for Auburn. Auburn hasn’t won a home SEC game since October of 2014. LSU’s defense presents too many problems for Auburn’s offensive line, and the switch to Etling looks like it has done enough for LSU’s offense to where they’ll be able to score enough points on Auburn’s revamped defense to pull out the road win and exact revenge for the beatdown in 2014. I’ll say LSU 30, Auburn 20.