Jeff: LSU should beat Auburn

The 9th ranked LSU Tigers and Auburn meet for the 44th time on Saturday night in Death Valley. Both teams are trying to get back in the win column. Auburn has last two straight, while the Bayou Bengals fell to Florida in their last outing.


This is one of the best rivalries in the SEC and the games usually feature a bizarre twist or ending. You can expect something unusual to happen and also keep an eye on these five things.   


1. LSU will want to establish the run

Tigers Coach Les Miles expressed the desire to throw more deep passes this week. But before that happens, LSU will try to establish a running game. Miles would rather see a good game from Charles Scott than a prolific passing attack. The head coach mentioned he wants Scott to get involved early and he might play true freshman fullback Dominique Allen to help open some holes.


2. Both teams are dealing with shaky quarterback play

Auburn's Chris Todd and LSU's Jordan Jefferson are coming off bad performances. Two weeks ago Todd was second in the SEC in passing, but last week he completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw for 80 yards. Jefferson also failed to reach the century mark for passing yards his last time out. Auburn Coach Gene Chizik is not blaming Todd for all of Auburn's recent offensive problems, while Jefferson got a chance to refine his game during a bye week.


3. LSU's Patrick Peterson and Auburn's Ben Tate are two players to watch

Even though he's a sophomore, Peterson might be the best cornerback in the SEC. The future All-American has spent the week texting his cousin Walter McFadden, who is a senior cornerback for Auburn. Todd has only thrown two interceptions, but Peterson may get one this week.


Tate is 144 yards away from the 1,000 yard mark for the season and he's the 5th all-time leading rusher in Auburn history. Tate will give LSU's defense a good test. He's not easy to tackle and gets many of his yards after breaking away from the first defender. The senior is also a good blocker, and one of the reasons why Todd has been sacked just five times.


4. LSU's offense should be able to move the ball against a suspect defense

If the Tigers offense struggles in this game, it will be a long second-half of the season. Auburn doesn't have much depth on defense and they are allowing 368 yards and 26 points a game. Look for LSU to focus on just picking up first downs. Miles and Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton have said the lack of plays per game is keeping the offense from finding any rhythm.


5. A close game is expected

The last five games in this series have been decided by six points or less. This game could have a wild finish, especially if LSU is trailing going into the 4th quarter. Auburn's defense tends to wear down, and they've given up 53 points in the 4th quarter in the last four games, which should allow LSU to come from behind.


Also don't expect many penalties. The SEC has suspended a crew for making some bone head calls. This might make officials around the league a little hesitant to throw the flag.   


I like LSU to win 28 to 20.