For the fifth straight time, Auburn had a double-digit lead against an SEC opponent.
Auburn is now 1-4 in those games.
LSU scored 21 unanswered points Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium to win 21-17 and make Auburn 1-1 in the SEC 3-2 overall.
Auburn outgained LSU and held them to 85 yards passing but turned the ball over four times, missed a field goal, made multiple questionable play calls, and failed to score in the second half.
[autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] showed why Auburn’s coaching staff is so excited about his future on the first drive. With the Tigers facing third-and-eight from their 47 he evaded an LSU pass rusher and found a streaking [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] for the 53-yard touchdown pass.
After the teams traded punts he once again showed off his arm. He found a wide-open [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] for a 61-yard gain and then an uncovered [autotag]Camden Brown[/autotag] for the touchdown and the 14-0 lead with 13:58 left in the second quarter.
Auburn took a 17-0 lead on their next possession on a 29-yard field goal from [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] after their drive stalled out in the red zone.
After playing a nearly perfect game Ashford made his first mistake on Auburn’s next drive. On 1st-and-10 he rolled to his right trying to keep the play alive but LSU pass rusher BJ Ojulari was able to catch him for the strip sack which they picked up for the scoop and score.
That marked a turning point in the game. Auburn was able to move the ball on their next drive but Carlson missed the 40-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the first half.
As he normally does, [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] used his time out aggressively to get the ball back and it would have worked had Derick Hall not been penalized for illegal hands to the face and given LSU a first down on third down. LSU took advantage of the second chance, making it a 17-14 Auburn lead when Jayden Daniels punched it in from the one-yard line just before the half ended.
Auburn saw their lead get erased completely in the third quarter after a failed conversion on fourth-and-10 gave LSU a short field. They did not complete a pass on their 7-play 63-yard drive that ended with a John Emery Jr. 20-yard touchdown that gave them a 21-17 lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter.
Auburn had a chance to retake the lead in the fourth quarter, driving to the LSU 10-yard line but Koy Moore threw an ill-advised pass on a trick play and LSU picked it off to end the threat. Despite LSU fumbling it away a few plays later, Ashford was picked off when an LSU defender ripped the ball away from Moore to all but end the game.
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