TOP 5 LSU TIGER PERFORMANCES VS AUBURN
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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
LSU erased Auburn 38-17 in a scoreline that doesn't quite capture Kiffin and Co's complete and utter dominance at Jordan Haire Stadium, totaling 552 yards of offense, 7 sacks & 12 TFLs as a defense, while burying Auburn before the 1st half had even concluded...
It was the most complete and authoritative peformance by Lane Kiffin's Tigers, making plays up & down the field in a truly blistering display.....here's our top 5 best performances of Week 8:
5. PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN
5 TACKLES
1.5 TFLs
1 SACK
Ripping off one steambreathing pressure after another, defensive end Princewill Umanmielen was obviously angry following his 7 snap appearance last week against Miss St, leaving the game with a concussion, and now seemingly in a major hurry to make up for lost time:
Denied a sack in the stat column due to his early removal vs Miss St, the first game all season he didn't cash in a QB pressure with a sack, Princewill made damn sure that stat will have an asterisk next to it, as he wasted no time grabbing his 9th sack of the year alongside 1.5 tackles for loss.
Recording the most sacks by a Tiger defender since Arden Key's record-setting 12 sacks in 2016, for all his pass rushing prowess, Princewill Umanmielen isn't just a sack machine: he's a superb all around defensive lineman.
Princewill's towering, feverish presence drew such attention, his every step opened up a litany of tackling lanes and pass rushing avenues for his teammates, while his strong tackling and edge containment completely shackled & harassed Auburn QB Byrum Brown, holding the dual threat rusher to just 21 yards on 19 carries...just a week after Brown ran over 100 yards on 26 carries vs #1 Georgia.
Today, with Princewill back, sending physically brutal messages early and often, Byrum Brown never had a chance in hell...
4. DILIN JONES
92 RUSHING YARDS
21 CARRIES
1 RUSHING TD
27 RECEIVING YARDS
4 CATCHES
Putting together a 3rd straight game featuring 100 total yards, running back Dilin Jones was unlucky not to eclipse 100 on the ground @ Auburn, plowing through, swimming & ducking around, or running over all comers in his wake as he led the Tigers' 165 total rushing load.
Punching in another close yardage goal-line touchdown early in the game, forcing Auburn to chase LSU, coupled with his ability to break long gains, stay patient, and catch passes, Jones is finally getting the credit he's thoroughly earned as a complete back...
Showcasing far more than mere steel, Jones possesses the moves (ranking in the top 15 of rushers making defenders miss all season), the pace & grit between the tackles, alongside the ground & pound virtues needed to become one of the premier running backs in college football by the time his final year is done at LSU.
Dilin Jones is on pace to become just the 2nd Tiger running back to hit 1,000 yards in a season since 2019.
3. JORDAN ROSS
4 TACKLES
2.5 TFLs
2 SACKS
1 PBU
Wrapping up Byrum Brown twice in the backfield for his first multi-sack game of the campaign (now on 5), DE Jordan Ross peppered the Auburn backfield like a speed demon, breaking the will of Auburn's right tackle again and again as he racked up the stats for a second week in a row.
Blowing up 2.5 plays in the backfield for the 2nd straight game (9.5 TFLs over 8 games), Jordan Ross is a wrecking ball, a beastly pass rushing savage who is hitting his stride at an All-SEC level if he keeps up this tyrannical streak of battering ram imperialism.
2. JACKSON HARRIS
178 YARDS
9 CATCHES
14 TARGETS
2 TDs
Catching a whopping 9 balls for 178 yards, making awe-inspiring snatches over good coverage, cashing in 2 TDs while targeted 14 times, LSU WR Jackson Harris is beyond the Tigers' WR1...he may just be the most explosive wide receiver inside the SEC.
Burning Auburn for a 70 yard touchdown scamper, all buoyed by an exhibition of elite route running skill & deceptive speed after the catch, Jackson Harris is making long, explosive plays a constant habit, a near addiction over the course of LSU's 8 games:
Burning defenders for 635 Yards on
36 grabs, 7 TD catches & 17.6 per catch, the former Hawaii man continues to break the backs of defenses, now at 8 catches over 25 yards, 2 TD catches of 50+ yards on 3rd or 4th down (including today's 70 yarder), rattling off 26 1st down plays to move the chains (8 on 3rd/4th down), Harris is LSU's big play machine and most reliable target wrapped in one phenomenonal package.
1. SAM LEAVITT
387 PASSING YARDS
32 COMPLETIONS
3 TDs
0 INTs*
54 RUSHING YARDS
8 CARRIES
1 RUSHING TD
Melting DJ Durkin's defense for a career high 387 passing yards, as he also topped 30 completions and 3+ TDs for the second straight game, LSU starting QB Sam Leavitt is coming into his own as a passer, orchestrating the Kiffin/Weis offense with confidence & command, throwing darts all over the field (as well as taking the easy plays, instead of forcing the issue as much as he did earlier in the season), Leavitt's rapid development as a passer is easy to spot.
What I think is of more importance from LSU's barnburning (pun intended) victory over Auburn???
Sam Leavitt's hamstring healing just enough for the Tigers' #10 to put both dual threat ingredients together for the first time in his career, tossing for big numbers through the air, while rushing for 54 crucial yards, plus taking a nasty hit in order to score a game-defining rushing TD right on the stroke of halftime, burying Auburn 31-10....
Sam was also able to avoid a turnover for the second straight game, although, as I point out during our Postgame Film Study, he was extremely lucky not to throw a disastrous interception in the 1st quarter, a pick that was barely dropped by an Auburn defender.....a pass to no one (perhaps Casper the Friendly Ghost) that should've never left his hand.
Regardless of the unpunished error, Leavitt delivered a devastating, exacting, calculating, and most of all, mature performance, his best in a Tiger uniform.
If he continues his rise, there is no ceiling for his brand of quarterbacking capabilities within the Kiffin/Weis offense, especially if weapons like Jackson Harris, Trey'dez Green, and Dilin Jones keep on firing.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
-DAVHON KEYS
(7 TACKLES, 1.5 TFLs, 1 SACK)
-DJ PICKETT
(2 TACKLES, 1 TFL, 2 PBUs)
-TREY'DEZ GREEN
(50 YARDS, 5 CATCHES, 1 TD)
WATCH OUR POSTGAME SHOW👇
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2026 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
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