Auburn Football 2017: 3 Takeaways from upset loss to LSU

3. Auburn is close, but not quite there yet

The wheels are turning for the Tigers but they haven’t clicked into full gear just yet. Auburn scored on their first three drives against LSU on Saturday. The Tiger defense forced a fumble and back-to-back punts from LSU. All the momentum was in Auburn’s favor and it looked like this was going to be another thrashing for LSU to endure.

Yet LSU found a way to fight back and make this a ball game. Auburn hasn’t won at Death Valley since 1999. So part of that was the home field magic that’s been a part of this rivalry for decades. But another piece is something that’s hard to put a finger on.

When you look at this roster on paper it doesn’t have a glaring weakness. The wide receivers had a rough outing on Saturday, but it wasn’t egregious. The offensive line has had their ups and downs, but Jarrett Stidham and the running backs have had strong seasons. The defense continues to be one of the best units in the SEC, if not the country.

That’s why the Tigers continue to hang around the Top 10 but haven’t joined the group of elite teams at the very top. When you watch this team play you see what they could be if everything works the way that its supposed to. Instead they find themselves trailing LSU in the fourth quarter. Auburn could figure it out and make a deep post season run, but for now they’re still figuring some things out.