You can read my late-night game recap here. Let's get to my personal and uneducated thoughts on the game, now.
THE GOOD:
Nick Marshall: After struggling at times in the early season, Nick Marshall looked the part of a Heisman Trophy candidate on Saturday night against LSU. He was masterful with the zone read and running the football. His passing was on target for the most part, including two great touchdown passes to Sammie Coates and CJ Uzomah. Nick looked good last night. Very good.
The Inside Run Game: After two weeks of struggling with any sort of inside running game Auburn ran the ball up the middle pretty much at will. This should be very encouraging for everyone worrying about the status of Auburn's rushing attack. However, I don't want it to sound like all is now roses with the running game. Let's not forget that LSU's defensive front this season has not been the dominating force of years past. Next weekend will be a fierce test of the running game against a stout Mississippi State front.
Sammie Coates: Sammie has been a bit lost in the shuffle over the past few weeks with his injury. Saturday night he shined with four catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Having Coates back in his old form should add a devastating element to this offense going forward.
Not Targeting Duke Williams: Don't get me wrong, getting Duke the ball is important. He has been a dominating possession receiver this year. I've been a bit worried about Marshall getting into looking first for Duke and getting too locked in on him. Duke finished the night with two catches, including one acrobatic leap for a first down grab. He needs to be a large part of the offense, but Marshall spreading the ball to other receivers ensures that defenses can't focus solely on Williams.
The Defense: LSU's offense has struggled at times this season, but true freshman Brandon Harris has been impressive. Auburn's defense got in his head early and never let loose. This defense played lights out. Rudy Ford was a standout and is fast becoming one of the best defensive backs Auburn has had in quite some time. Cassanova McKinzy played well even though he didn't start. The defense as a whole was pretty spectacular. I'm sure on a second watch there will be things I can point to that could be done better, but first impression was amazement at how far this unit has come.
THE BAD:
I got nothing. No, seriously. Right now I really can't think of anything particularly worth noting. It was a fantastic game all around for Auburn. I never thought I'd see that dominating a performance against LSU. It could have been an even bigger blowout than it was.
THE AWESOME:
0-13: I pointed out a moment ago that Auburn's defense was great last night. How great? LSU went 0-13 on 3rd downs.
This: