LSU Football: 3 takeaways from takedown of top-10 Auburn in Week 9

2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a huge game

The big storylines with the LSU offense tend to center around their passing game. (See, for instance, the GameDay feature on the young Tigers receivers working on their catching reliability this offseason.) But the ground game remains a critical component to any success that the Tigers might put together in 2019, and that proved itself in a big way against Auburn on Saturday.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a hit-or-miss tailback for the Bayou Bengals this year. The victory over Auburn marked just the third time this season that Edwards-Helaire has topped the 100-yard rushing mark, as he finished with 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the visitors from the Plains.

More impressive than his season high in rushing was the fact that Edwards-Helaire put in a workhorse performance in a way he hasn’t had to yet this season. Carrying the ball 26 times when his previous 2019 high was just 14 carries, Edwards-Helaire was able to churn out hard yards and keep the chains moving in a way that bodes well for the final month of the season. He added 51 receiving yards on seven catches to showcase his versatility out of the backfield.

If LSU is going to have any chance of taking down Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 9, they need Edwards-Helaire to continue putting up big performances on the ground and in the passing game.