Postgame Recap: LSU 21, Auburn 17

Why did I expect any different?

To start this, I’m happy to relay reporting that Sevyn Banks was discharged from the hospital tonight and is back with the team. On the opening kick, hit his head into an Auburn player and hit the ground motionless. He had to be taken off the field in a stretcher and it looked potentially catastrophic. Obviously, we don’t know much about the nature of the injury, but I dearly hope that anything life-altering can be avoided here. It’s a good sign he’s back with the team, and a huge relief.

Now, to the recap of a bizarre game.

Shame on me as an analyst. I would like to issue an apology to you all. I predicted that LSU would roll because Auburn is a terrible football team and LSU really took it to Mississippi State, which isn’t a terrible football team. I thought that because LSU has a very good defense and is playing the 3rd string QB of a bad offense that they’d be able to roll.

I forgot that it was LSU-Auburn, and I forgot about the Joe Tess effect. Analytics, players, coaching, Xs and Os, all of it be damned. Joe Tessitore was calling an LSU-Auburn game, and I somehow didn’t expect this one to blow in from stupid town. That’s on me.

The first 80% of the first half was an absolute nightmare. Between a handful of busted assignments, undisciplined plays when Auburn’s O broke structure, and a challenged offense, LSU found itself down 17-0 to ROBBY ASHFORD. It all changed when Auburn Auburned and fumbled the ball for Jay Ward to waltz into the endzone. LSU was able to make it 17-14 on a Jayden Daniels rushing TD going into the half.

If it wasn’t stupid enough, then it get really stupid. After a few traded punts and an Auburn turnover on downs, LSU got the ball back and scored a ridiculous John Emery manball TD to go up 21-17. To answer that, Auburn drove down into the LSU red zone. While there, they gave the ball to Koy Moore, who interestingly claimed this week that he was LSU’s best receiver last year, on a reverse pass. He proceeded to flip the ball directly to LSU LB Harold Perkins and kill Auburn’s possession. The teams traded punts from there before all hell REAAAALLY broke loose (it hadn’t yet relative to the ending). Jayden Daniels left the game at this point with some leg soreness, which Kelly stated postgame isn’t an issue going forward.

LSU got the ball back after Auburn’s punt but ran into 4th down and had to punt themselves with about 5 and a half minutes remaining. Auburn MUFFED the punt and gave LSU the ball deep in plus territory. LSU, looking to ice the game, gave the ball to John Emery, who FUMBLED THE BALL after two offensive linemen PULLED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND COLLIDED, which Auburn recovered. With new life, Auburn drove down into LSU territory. On 2nd and 11, Robby Ashford ripped the ball onto the hands of an Auburn receiver who had it RIPPED OUT OF THEM by Greg Brooks. That Auburn receiver? Koy Moore. From there, LSU could finally actually ice the game and improve to a weird 4-1.

Look, Koy Moore wasn’t totally lying: no wide receiver did MORE to help LSU win this game than he did tonight.