LSU Tigers: Reaction and photo gallery from win vs Auburn

Behind a spectacular effort from running back Leonard Fournette, the LSU Tigers picked up a huge SEC West victory Saturday over Auburn in Death Valley.

I was very skeptical of LSU. If you remember the Saturday Blitz preseason SEC Power Rankings, I ranked LSU seventh overall and fifth in the SEC West, ahead of only Mississippi State and Texas A&M. I somehow forgot that the Tigers have Leonard Fournette and no one else does.

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Fournette nearly set a single-game rushing record Saturday in LSU’s 45-21 victory over No. 18 Auburn. The sophomore rumbled for 228 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns on only 19 carries – an incredible average of 12.0 yards per attempt. Fournette now has 387 rushing yards and six touchdowns in two games this season.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound New Orleans native took a helmet to the leg on his final TD (a high-flying leap over the line and into the end zone to increase the Tigers’ lead to 38-7) and received attention from trainers on the sideline. He did not re-enter the game on offense, but did take the field as the deep man in LSU’s onside kick return following a late Auburn touchdown – so it appears the injury is not at all serious.

Quarterback Brandon Harris, who made his first career start at Tiger Stadium but his second start against Auburn (and struggled terribly in LSU’s 41-7 loss last year on the Plains), completed 12 of 17 pass attempts for 74 yards and a touchdown and added 66 rushing yards and two TDs on eight carries. True freshman running back Derrius Guice even got in on the action with 55 rushing yards on six carries. In all, the Tigers piled up 411 rushing yards in a dominant offensive performance.

The LSU defense also made life very difficult for the Auburn offense. Auburn had only 260 total yards – 65 of which came on one touchdown run by Jeremy Johnson. LSU also forced two turnovers, and did not turn the ball over themselves.

It’s possible that Auburn is bad. But it’s also possible (likely, even) that LSU is very, very good.

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