Auburn Football: 3 reasons the Tigers will beat LSU in Week 9
By Phil Poling
3. Auburn will win the time of possession battle
The Auburn Tigers average 36.3 points per game this season, good enough for 23rd in the country, but the way their offense operates poses the greater threat to LSU. They have one of the best ground attacks in college football, which — if executed well — will shorten the game and give them an excellent opportunity to win.
Auburn’s rush attack ranks 11th in college football, providing them nearly 250 yards per game on the ground. If they’re able to maintain that dominance, the high-octane LSU offense will spend much of the game on the sidelines – where they can’t score any points.
Although Auburn leading rusher JaTarvious Whitlow will be sidelined versus LSU, the Tigers still have the offensive line and signal-caller in place that got them to this point. Whitlow’s 544 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground will be missed, but senior running back Kam Martin averages 5.9 yards per carry and will be up for the challenge.
Throw in running back Shaun Shivers and wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, and the Auburn offense still has plenty of versatile weapons to outrun the LSU Tigers; eight different Auburn players have rushed for a touchdown this season.
Auburn quarterback, freshman Bo Nix, is also a threat on the ground, piling up 210 yards on 53 carries this season. He’s reached the end-zone three times and averages 4.0 yards per carry, providing Auburn a dual-threat that LSU’s defense could have trouble slowing down.
Not every drive needs to end with a score, but if Nix is capable of stringing together a handful of long, time-consuming drives, Auburn will be right there at the end of the game to steal it in hostile territory.