Opponent Q&A, Pt. I - Auburn vs LSU

Many thanks to And The Valley Shook and Billy Gomila for stopping by to give us a little scoop on what LSU’s bringing into Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday. Enjoy!

Two games into the Joe Burrow era -- what are the positives and negatives of his game after two weeks?

The biggest compliment I can give him right now is that he has an ease about his play. He never really seems rattled, and his decision making has been impeccable. Unfortunately, that hasn’t yielded a ton of potential yet, although I that has more to do with LSU’s issues protecting him and some wide receiver drops. I do think he, and this offense can continue to improve. Whether that will be enough in this game remains to be seen though.

LSU’s defense looks like the same old talented wild bunch. What did they do so well against Miami and who stands out on that side of the ball?

The Tiger defensive front really held Miami in check and forced Malik Rozier into obvious passing downs, and he just wasn’t up to snuff against the Tiger secondary. Greedy Williams is an amazing cornerback, as we’ve come to expect, but safety Grant Delpit has really blossomed as well. And Dave Aranda will use him in some creative fashions as well, as a linebacker in some specialized nickel sets as well. Linebacker Devin White remains a tackling machine, and his running partner Jacob Phillips has stepped up as a starter as well. One player that could be a key on Saturday is nose tackle Breiden Fehoko, a transfer from Texas Tech. He’s incredibly quick, and may be the strongest player on the team as well. He could be the key to disrupting Auburn’s attack up front.

Nick Brosette’s filled in nicely as the next LSU tailback so far, but what other weapons are there on the offensive side of the ball for Burrow?

Freshmen wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Terrace Marshall are getting a lot of snaps out wide, as is sophomore Justin Jefferson. Something to watch may be slot receiver Jonathan Giles and backup tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire. They could be the quick passing game options that LSU needs to open things up a bit for the running game and the downfield passing.

I know LSU dealt with some injuries in the Miami game. Who will be out and who will be available for this game?

The biggest injury remains linebacker/pass-rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, who blew out his knee late against the Hurricanes and will still be out for this week. A couple starters were out last week against Southeastern Louisiana -- left tackle Saahdiq Charles, fullback Tory Carter, linebacker Michael Divinity and lineman Ed Alexander, but I believe all four will be back this week.

This game’s always been wild. What’s the next ridiculous chapter in this rivalry and how does it happen this Saturday?

Something tells me neither one of these teams are blowing a 20-point lead a second year in a row. LSU has only won three times in Jordan-Hare Stadium in 20 years, and all three came over coaches that were fired shortly thereafter. It’s a tall task. I think it’ll be a close game, with neither team scoring a ton of points, but it seems like Auburn will pull away eventually. If it does come down to field goals, that may be LSU’s advantage this year, though.

We’ll have a special second entry into our Q&A later this week, because it wouldn’t be LSU week without having a little weirdness in our lives. War Eagle!