Auburn faces tough test from LSU despite numbers

AUBURN — The numbers say LSU is a worse offense than Auburn is a bad defense.

Eighty-eight teams in the country are rushing the ball better than LSU. Everywhere else, it’s even worse.

The Bengal Tigers are 91st in scoring offense — averaging 23 points per game — 105th in passing offense and 112th in total offense. Stack those numbers up against the rest of the SEC, and it’s either LSU or Vanderbilt who are rounding out the bottom of the list.

But at 5-1 and No. 10 in the nation, the Bengal Tigers have certainly been doing enough to get by, which was all coach Gene Chizik had his thoughts centered on Tuesday heading into Saturday’s primetime matchup at Death Valley.

“They are very athletic and talented,” Chizik said. “They have some good things that can pose problems for a defense.”

Any potential problems, though, always come back to Auburn.

The No. 282, as in the rushing yards Auburn allowed the Wildcats, will be hanging heavily over the heads of Auburn defenders as they prepare for an LSU offense that will likely be forcing the issue to better its 89th-ranked, underachieving ground game.

“If we are going to win the game this week, we will definitely have to stop the run,” Chizik said. “So that is our goal defensively this week. We have to be able to hold up.”

The Tigers have seemingly gotten worse by the week when it comes to holding teams up, especially in the fourth quarter. While being outscored 53-14 over the past four fourth quarters, the run defense has grown noticeably weary.

After minimizing the Wildcats’ one-dimensional running attack to 140 yards and just 201 yards of total offense for three quarters, the Tigers gave up 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It helped solidify that date’s rush-defense performance as the worst since a 2002 game against Arkansas.

The effort dropped the Tigers’ rush defense from 10th to 11th in the SEC and from 84th to 99th in the nation. The 181.43 rushing yards per game Auburn is allowing would rank 36th in the nation if it were compiled by a single team.

Reporters pointed toward Auburn’s well-documented depth issues when discussing the issue with players and Chizik, but that’s no longer a suitable excuse — especially when the numbers are this bad.

“It does reach a point where you just get very fatigued out there and your body starts to wear down, but it’s more of a mind thing,” defensive end Michael Goggans said. “You’ve just got to go in there with that mind-set, that you’ve got to push through it. We can’t use that as an excuse. We’ve just got to learn to finish.”

For some reason, LSU’s bruising tailback Charles Scott hasn’t gotten started this season.

Coming off a 1,174-yard, 18-touchdown season, Scott has just 375 yards and two scores at the midpoint of LSU’s season. His carries have been minimized because of fellow tailback Keiland Williams, and his role has changed as he serves more as a blocker than a runner in certain formations.

Still, as Scott’s performance against Georgia earlier in the month showed, he’s a game-changer who will require the full focus of an opposing defense. With LSU trailing in the waning minutes, Scott’s 33-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, sent the Bengal Tigers out of Athens winners.

“In most of the games we have struggled at times, and this is going to be a great challenge for our defense,” Chizik said. “Charles Scott is a very physical tailback. The offensive line, with backs and tight ends included, are all very physical and downhill players. You can tell that is the mentality that they coach and live or die by.”

As displayed last week against Kentucky’s Wildcat triggerman Randall Cobb (12 carries, 109 yards) and earlier in the season against West Virginia’s Jarrett Brown (19 carries, 66 yards), the Tigers haven’t exactly thrived against mobile quarterbacks, either.

LSU’s Jordan Jefferson has similar athletic ability and poses a similar threat to tuck and run on any play.

“It’s basically like having an extra tailback,” Chizik said.