WILL THE REAL 2026 LSU TIGERS PLEASE STAND UP???

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

Which LSU will we see take the field @ Auburn on Saturday morning???

The one that entered the season with bad boy energy, an us against the world mentality, and an all encompassing beatdown of Clemson???

Or....will we behold the crashout version of Kiffin's Year 1 Tigers like we witnessed during the 1st half @ Ole Miss???

Or maybe we get the edition that showcased 2nd half resilience later during that same night in Oxford, playing like a different team only minutes later???

Will it be the guns blazing, creative, assertive 2026 LSU we've seen beat teams with trick plays & 4th down gambles???

Or the safe, careful, scared to lose version from the Kentucky game, where Lane Kiffin shocked us all by punting the ball???

Will Sam Leavitt continue his positive trajectory as a passer (4 TDs, 0 INTs, 31 completions last week), or could we see him revert back into the turnover machine he was throughout the majority of the campaign (SEC leading 8 INTs)???

So many questions, but there are a few answers to look at that may point to who will win this game:

First off, LSU have one of their #7's back, superfreak tight end Trey'Dez Green, although he will most likely play a limited role @ Auburn, his return is a major psychological boost for Kiffin/Weis's offense.

Second, star DE Princewill Umanmielen (2nd in NCAA for sacks & TFLs) missed most of the Mississippi State shutout due to a concussion, however he is now cleared to play and travel to Alabama for the Auburn clash.

For a squad hit by high profile injuries, the return of multiple starters is a big time win at the 11th hour, carrying 2 losses already on the board while a sense of urgency, maybe even a tinge of desperation, wafts in the air.

And after Auburn's road upset of #1 Georgia, LSU will need every available hand on deck:

Auburn's dual threat QB Byrum Brown is like a mix of Jason Campbell and LaNorris Sellers, and he has the exact profile that's beaten LSU before....a stout, dual threat QB possessing power in short yardage and moves in the open field, able to make defenders miss or smash through them....Brown is a nimble improvisational QB and a problem who needs stopping.

Some of the plays Brown made over 26 rushing attempts, some of the plays that whole Alex Golesh Auburn team made against Georgia, multiple INTs (something Leavitt has to look out for), a huge strip in the final minute that basically saves them from defeat and gives them another chance for victory, they had sacks, Auburn blocked a field goal, they were able to work Kirby Smart and Co on a big 3rd and 9 thanks to former LSU commit TE Jake Johnson (younger brother of former Tiger QB Max Johnson), another player to watch out for in this game (as LSU's defense struggled vs tight ends in a few games this season)....there aren't a lot of playmakers on Auburn's team, and they haven't been dominant in any category all year, although this Saturday could be a trap.....

With LSU's 0-8 road record in our last 8 SEC away trips, LSU haven't won on the road in the SEC since The Honkeybadger game @ Arkansas in 2024....no matter how concerned anyone may be about Auburn as a serious force or not, the trickiness of Saturday morning has to be a pregame focus.

Auburn may be 4-2, but if they give our defense 70% of the trouble they gave Georgia's defense & LSU turn the ball over, you have to be a bit wary of the low scoring bloodbath this game could turn into...and traditionally has devolved into throughout the annals of this rivalry.

There's been a hit to our own offensive weapons and defensive stopping power due to these colossal injuries, then the game is on the road against a team who just beat the #1 squad in the country & are coming home to a raucous crowd, there's the dual threat QB factor and Blake Baker's checkered past facing QBs like Brown....all evidence examined, I wouldn't be shocked if this game goes down to the wire, yet another trial by fire for Lane Kiffin's Tigers.

This LSU vs Auburn clash was actually one of the 2 games I picked LSU to lose before the season started, I circled @ Kentucky and @ Auburn as games we'd lose....but there is a different feeling around LSU's squad right now....a growing confidence that was nowhere to be found for much of the past month.

If Leavitt and the offense, as well as special teams, can avoid turnovers, if the offense can score early TDs and make Auburn chase the game, and, of course avoid more injuries, then there's no reason this LSU squad shouldn't lose a 3rd game before the Halloween bye.

Jump out to an early lead, control the game, punch the ball in for 7 on their end against one of the worst red zone defenses in college football, don't turn the ball over for God's sake, feed your playmakers like Dilin Jones, Jackson Harris and, if healthy, Trey'dez Green, and take the crowd out of the contest early....turn Byrum Brown's 2nd and 5 mastery into a constant 2nd and 8 question they'll need to keep answering.

The only question Lane Kiffin & LSU need to answer???

Will the Tigers and their coaching staff be their swaggering, aggressive, creative selves???

FINAL PICK

LSU WIN 31-13 OVER AUBURN

BY LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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