AUBURN, AL (WBRC) -
The Auburn Tigers stepped up their game on Saturday to put up some competition for the LSU Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Unfortunately for Auburn, they came up just a few points short against the #2 ranked team.
The game did not start out very well for Auburn. Their first possession consisted of a complete pass for a loss and two incomplete passes before punting away. LSU's offense made a strong push for the endzone and appeared to be headed for a touchdown, but LSU's Zach Mettenberger fumbled and Auburn's Jeffrey Whitaker recovered the ball at the 3-yard line. This did not fare well for Auburn as a false start penalty forced them to the 1-yard line and a Tre Mason rush for a loss of a yard gave LSU a safety.
LSU added to their safety with a touchdown on their next possession. A 9-play drive saw LSU cover 59-yards in just over 4 minutes. The score was made with a Michael Ford rush for 1-yard with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.
Auburn regained some ferocity in the game after recovering a Mettenberger fumble forced by Corey Lemonier. Auburn's Angelo Blackson recovered the ball at the LSU 26-yard line. Three plays later, Auburn's Onterio McCalebb crossed the goal line with a 4-yard rush with no time left in the 1st quarter. Cody Parkey added the extra point to trail LSU by only 2.
In the second quarter, Auburn took a chance to pull ahead and it paid off. After some back-and-forth possessions, Auburn's offense found themselves at the LSU 23-yard line on 4th and 4. Kicker Cody Parkey took the field and booted a 40-yard kick to gain a 10-9 lead over LSU with 1:21 remaining in the half. Auburn's defense held strong and the #2 ranked team in the nation went into halftime trailing by 1 point.
The game remained close through the third quarter. After forcing LSU to punt, Auburn's Quan Bray fumbled the ball and it was recovered by LSU's Jarvis Landry at the Auburn 49. LSU's offense was able to push forward and grab a field goal by Drew Alleman. The 30-yard field goal allowed LSU to regain the lead 12-10.
The fourth quarter became a tug-of-war between the two teams. Neither team could get within a satisfying kicking range and the punts just kept coming. Eventually, LSU found a break in Auburn's defense with around 2:40 remaining in the game. A Mettenberger pass to Spencer Ware gained 33 yards to get to the Auburn 34. LSU then proceeded to run the clock down before bringing out Drew Alleman for a 34-yard field goal. Alleman's attempt was not good and Auburn took over the ball with around a minute to get into a kicking position. Auburn's offense made a valiant attempt, but the game ended when QB Kiehl Frazier's last remaining pass was intercepted by Tharold Simon to end the game.
Next week, Auburn goes on to play another SEC game by hosting Arkansas. As of this writing, kickoff time has not been announced.
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