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Our good friends over at And The Valley Shook joined us for a Q&A session. You can read my answers for him, here. And, yes, there are Chaz Ramsey statements in the comments over there. Go figure.
1) It appears LSU has settled on a QB who can throw the football. Has Danny Etling pretty much sealed the deal as starter or do you think there's a chance Brandon Harris could get back in if Etling ever struggles?
It does seem like Etling has the job for now, and this weekend will tell us more about that I think. He's just done all of the little things better than Harris. Better pocket presence, a good sense of when to find an outlet instead of forcing the ball to a wide receiver, things like that. And in general, the rest of the offense seems a little more comfortable and at ease with him in the huddle. If he can put together another strong outing this week in a difficult environment, I think that will cement things the rest of the way for him.
2) What's the general feel for the direction of this team after the opening loss to Wisconsin and then allowing MSU back in late?
Honestly, even with State's rally last week, still on the uptick. That felt a little more fluke-ish, mostly because of two Leonard Fournette fumbles, which is obviously very unlike him. Still, the stain of not only the Wisconsin loss but how it came about, are definitely lingering. A loss this week wouldn't necessarily spell the end for Les Miles right away, but given the teams that are left on LSU's schedule, it would put things even further behind the eight-ball.
3) We have bad memories of Leonard Fournette after last season. How has he looked so far this year? I know he's dealt with some nagging injuries, but is he really up to full speed, yet?
It almost feels unfair to say he hasn't looked like himself, given that he's STILL averaging 142 yards per game, but that's the standard he's set. His week one game vs. Wisconsin always felt like it was a couple yards short of that big break-out run, and then there were the two fumbles last week against State. But I'm pretty confident he'll be back to form in short order.
4) How do you think Kevin Steele plays into this game? Does LSU knowing their former DC help them, or does his knowledge of LSU's offense help Auburn?
I tend to think that these matchups cancel each other out, to be honest. Yeah, Steele probably feels like he knows what Cam Cameron will do on third down, and vice-versa, but it's really about the players making the plays.
5) Arden Key has been a beast of a sack master so far this season, and LSU is always DBU. Are there any areas of concern y'all have no the defensive side of the ball?
You know, the defensive backfield had a few let-downs last week. It's not like State went off or anything, but a couple of players just missed out on some opportunities to make plays on the ball. That's something that needs to get corrected this week, because in an environment like Jordan-Hare you have to take advantage when you have a chance to make a big play and take that crowd out of things.
Watch for Tre'davious White and Jamal Adams, who will be in the cross-hairs on a lot of Auburn's signature running plays.