Miami transfer TE Jaleel Skinner ‘really enjoyed’ his visit to Auburn

Auburn was the first visit for Jaleel Skinner since he entered the transfer portal after starting his career at Miami.

With it looking unlikely that Auburn will sign a high school tight end in the 2024 recruiting cycle, they have decided to dip into the transfer portal to add some youth to the position.

Former Miami Hurricane [autotag]Jaleel Skinner[/autotag] has become the top target and he took an official visit to the Plains over the weekend. The trip reminded him of his hometown and made quite an impression on him.

“It’s been fun,” Skinner told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente. “Auburn, this is the first time I’ve ever been down here and I was like telling my dad riding around and experiencing it all it looks like Greer (South Carolina) to me. It looks like home. I really enjoyed my time here.”

Auburn is Skinner’s only visit so far but he was willing to name then his early leader.

“Auburn’s up there at the top by itself,” he said.

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Auburn to host Miami tight end Jaleel Skinner for official visit

Skinner has caught 10 passes for 138 yards in two seasons at Miami.

Auburn snagged a tight end from the Miami area last season from the transfer portal in [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag]. They will try their hand at landing another this season by hosting another tight end this month.

[autotag]Jaleel Skinner[/autotag], formerly of Miami, will take a visit to Auburn during the weekend of Dec. 15-17 according to a report by Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live.

Skinner entered the transfer portal after spending the first two seasons of his college career at Miami. As a Hurricane, he hauled in 10 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. He was more productive as a freshman in 2022 when he hauled in nine passes for 129 yards and a score.

His sophomore campaign was not as active, as he made just one catch for nine yards. According to Pro Football Focus, he only appeared in two games and played a total of 25 snaps in 2023.

Despite not having a[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media] productive start to his career, Skinner was once a high-profile recruit. As a member of the 2022 recruiting cycle from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Skinner was a four-star tight end according to 247Sports composite rankings. He was the No. 3 tight end and the No. 102 overall player for the class.

Auburn tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] became Auburn’s leading receiver this season by reeling in 39 passes for 349 yards and six touchdowns. He has one season of eligibility remaining. Tight end [autotag]Brandon Frazier[/autotag] has announced that he will return to Auburn while [autotag]Tyler Fromm[/autotag] has declared his intent to enter the transfer portal.

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Coastal Carolina Transfer Jared Brown set to visit Auburn next week

Transfer receiver Jared Brown set to visit Auburn, Louisville, and South Carolina over the next week.

Coastal Carolina wide receiver Jared Brown has seemingly narrowed his list down to three teams.

The 6-foot sophomore is reportedly set to visit Auburn, Louisville, and South Carolina over the next 9 days, according to On3sports.

Brown is coming off a very solid season with the Chanticleers, racking up 58 catches for 740 yards and 4 scores.

His receptions and yardage are nearly double that of Auburn’s top pass catcher, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], in 2023.

Brown’s elusive nature as a ball-carrier made him a threat in the rushing attack as well. The speedy slot receiver totaled 15 carries this season for Coastal, turning them into 252 yards and a touchdown.

The sophomore out of Lilburn, GA could add a new dimension [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s offensive in 2024. Auburn’s passing game was the Achilles heel all season, and Brown could instantly upgrade a receiving room that lacks big-play potential.

Despite a disappointing season for Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt, Brown was able to earn All-Sun Belt honorable mention honors. [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has mentioned his desire to add a wide receiver from the transfer portal, and Brown may be the perfect fit on the Plains.

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Four Auburn Tigers named to AP All-SEC teams

Marcus Harris, Gunner Britton, Jaylin Simpson and Rivaldo Fairweather all named All-SEC by the Associated Press.

Four different Auburn players were honored by the Associated Press on Monday by being named to their All-SEC teams.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag] were both named to the first-team defense while tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] and offensive guard [autotag]Gunner Britton[/autotag] made the second-team offense.

Harris led Auburn with 7.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss to go with 40 total tackles. Simpson finished tied for second in the SEC with four interceptions. He added 36 tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

Fairweather was Auburn’s top receiving threat, leading the team in receptions (33), yards (349) and touchdowns (6). Britton, who started all 13 games for Auburn, allowed just 3 sacks in 359 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Here is a look at the full teams:

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide are nearly two-touchdown favorites to win the Iron Bowl. Does the Tale of the Tape say this game will be closer?

The 6-5 Auburn Tigers finish the regular season on Saturday when they play host to the 10-1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl.

Auburn is coming off its worst loss of the season, and maybe the decade, last week in a 31-10 beatdown against New Mexico State.

On the other side, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Tide have been playing great football since an early-season loss to Texas, giving them an outside chance at the College Football Playoff.

Despite the last three Iron Bowls at Jordan-Hare being decided by an average of 6 points, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag]‘s squad is a 13.5-point favorite to improve to 10-1 according to Bet MGM. 

ESPN FPI seemingly agrees with the oddsmakers, as the model gives Alabama an 85.8% chance to keep their playoff hopes alive on Saturday.

Will the tale of the tape tell us this game is going to be closer than expected, or is Alabama going to roll to another Iron Bowl victory?

As always, we’ll start with the quarterbacks.

Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has had himself a roller coaster season more inconsistent than the food truck locations on campus.

The junior played well in team’s 3-game win streak to open the year, then struggled for about a month before finding his footing at the end of October.

Thorne averaged nearly 213 yards and 3 touchdowns per game in Auburn wins over Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State, leading many people to believe the offense had found life heading into the home stretch of the season.

That belief fizzled last week, as Thorne threw for just 148 yards and 1 touchdown in the team’s loss to New Mexico State. The Tigers quarterback was also sacked 4 times.

Alabama quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe [/autotag] has had a similar type of “roller coaster” season. The sophomore opened the season with accuracy issues, and while he’s figured out some, Milroe still struggles to throw the ball at times.

The difference between Milroe and Thorne lies in their rushing ability. While the Alabama quarterback has only rushed for 332 yards, he’s collected 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with 19 passing scores.

Those 31 total touchdowns account for nearly double of [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]’s 17 total scores.

The clear quarterback edge goes to Milroe and the Crimson Tide.

Alabama also holds the edge in the position player battle.

While Auburn running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] has been great this season, rushing for 772 yards and 7 scores, his presence isn’t enough to break through the rolling tide of offensive firepower on the Alabama side.

Quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] has done much of the heavy lifting in the red zone, but Tide running backs [autotag]Jase McClellan[/autotag] and [autotag]Roydell Williams[/autotag] have been great in-between the 20s.

The tandem has rushed for 1,204 yards this season, on nearly 5.3 yards per carry. The duo gets the slight edge over Hunter.

The real difference lies in the receiving core on the offensive side of the ball, as Alabama senior [autotag]Jermaine Burton[/autotag] is easily the best pass-catcher in this game.

Burton’s 642 receiving yards just about equal the recieving yards of the top 2 Tigers pass catchers, [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] (349) and [autotag]Jay Fair[/autotag] (300).

The Crimson Tide get the edge across the offense.

The gap is closer of defense, but Alabama still gets the edge.

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag]’s defensive unit is about as stout as stout can get. They’ve held opponents to just over 17 points per game this season which has led them to the fifth-highest defensive efficiency ranking according to ESPN FPI.

Auburn’s unit has been great for much of the season too, but struggled mightily against New Mexico State last week.

[autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen McCleod[/autotag], and the Tigers defense have held opponents to just under 21.5 points per game and they rank 19th in defensive efficiency.

The defensive gap is close, and with Auburn having the home field advantage, I’m going to call it a wash for this Iron Bowl.

 

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Instant analysis: Auburn boatraces Arkansas to earn bowl eligibility

Auburn took control of the game early, and dominated throughout on its way to a 48-10 victory over the Razorbacks.

Arkansas snapped a six-game losing streak last Saturday by upsetting Florida on the road and hoped to keep momentum going this week by hosting Auburn, a team that needed just one win in order to qualify for a bowl game.

From the very beginning, it was evident Auburn wanted to play the role of villain on Saturday. They set the tone early and dominated nearly every aspect of the game throughout. Because of this, they will strut out of Fayetteville with a 48-10 win.

Auburn (6-4, 3-4 SEC) won many categories on Saturday including total yards (519), first downs (32), yards per play (7), and red zone opportunities (7-of-7). The Razorbacks ended with 255 total yards, and they managed to earn just 10 first downs.

Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] headlined offensive production yet again, as they were responsible for 374 of Auburn’s 517 yards. Thorne passed for 163 yards and three scores while completing 12-of-20 passes. Hunter posted another triple-digit rushing output by gaining 109 yards on 16 carries.

Defensively, the Tigers recorded eight tackles for loss, with five going as sacks. Linebacker [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] was the star of the defense by making nine stops, with three sacks and four tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

The opening quarter was dominated by Auburn, as they outgained the Razorbacks 169-24 en route to a 21-3 lead.

Auburn, or should I say [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag], set the tone early by playing a key role in two of Auburn’s three scores. He led his team on a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive which ended with a 12-yard touchdown run to push his team ahead, 7-0 with 12:37 remaining.

He paired up with [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] for the team’s third score of the first quarter with 6:28 remaining. The 11-yard pass pushed Auburn ahead, 21-0. The second score of the quarter for Auburn was a 74-yard punt return by [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag], which took place following Arkansas’ first possession.

The Razorbacks’ lone score came with 1:54 to go in the quarter when kicker Cam Little nailed a 39-yard field goal to cut the Tigers’ lead to 21-3. The score was set up by a Thorne interception that was returned 42 yards by Dwight McGlothern.

The second quarter was not as fast-paced, as [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] was responsible for both scores, a 39-yard field goal and a 31-yard field goal, to give Auburn the 27-3 lead. However, the Tigers still managed to gain 108 yards on 20 plays.

The Tigers’ defense played a key role in Auburn’s wide first-half margin. Auburn limited Arkansas to just 110 total yards, with Razorbacks’ quarterback KJ Jefferson only gaining 103. They also posted five tackles for loss with four sacks through the first half.

Auburn’s 3rd quarter brought flashbacks the the 1st quarter of the game, where the Tigers grabbed command early. Auburn scored 21 points in the quarter and posted 143 yards to expand their lead to 48-3 through three quarters. Thorne threw two more touchdown passes, one to Fairweather and another to [autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag]. Running back [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag] entered the chat with 0:14 remaining in the quarter. He rushed from seven yards out for his first touchdown as a Tiger.

The Tigers coasted in the 4th quarter to secure the victory. The lone score in the quarter came with 14:35 in the game when Arkansas quarterback Jacolby Criswell connected with Isaac Teslaa on an 11-yard reception.

Auburn will go for win No. 7 of the season next Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium when they host New Mexico State for the nonconference finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

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Social media reacts to Auburn beating Vanderbilt

The Auburn fan’s enjoyed this one.

Auburn’s offense created big play after big play as they crushed Vanderbilt 31-15 Saturday in Nashville.

[autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] gave Auburn a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after ripping off touchdown runs of 67- and 56-yards. He finished the game with 183 yards and two touchdowns, it is his second game rushing for over 100 yards this season.

While Auburn’s offense struggled with consistency, the defense was in complete control of the game. After allowing Vanderbilt to gain 40 yards on their first drive they forced three straight three-and-outs and didn’t allow any points until late in the third quarter.

After a quiet second quarter, Auburn’s offense came alive in the third quarter and it was once again thanks to some explosive plays. Facing third and four, [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] found a wide-open [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] for a 53-yard touchdown to give Auburn the 24-7 lead.

Auburn’s fans enjoyed watching the Tigers pick up their second straight win and took to social media to celebrate, here are the top reactions.

Music City mash: Tigers crush Vanderbilt for first SEC road win

That’s two wins in a row for the Tigers!

The Auburn Tigers headed to Nashville in hopes of earning their first SEC road win of the season at Vanderbilt. They managed to get the job done, doing so in a dominating fashion.

The Tigers (5-4, 2-4 SEC) outgained the Commodores (2-8, 0-6 SEC), 424-266, and recorded five total sacks on defense in a 31-15 win.

Auburn started fast with two quick scores in the first quarter and pulled away with a solid defensive effort and two third quarter touchdowns.

The big storyline when reflecting on this game, was the quarterback rotation. After spending the first seven weeks of the season splitting time between Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford, head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] elected to give Thorne a majority of the snaps in Auburn’s win over Mississippi State last Saturday. Freeze turned it up a notch in Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt by giving Thorne 100% of the snaps. His day ended with 194 yards and two touchdowns.

Auburn got off to a hot start by jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter.

Vanderbilt put together a solid opening drive that covered 40 yards in nine plays, but it resulted in zero points as Commodores’ kicker Jacob Borcila missed a 43-yard field goal. The missed field goal proved costly as [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] sprinted 67 yards on the second play of Auburn’s ensuing drive to put Auburn on the board, 7-0 with 10:00 remaining in the opening quarter.

Hunter’s incredible run was nearly duplicated two possessions later. Seven minutes after rushing for a 67-yard score, he ran 56 yards to push Auburn’s lead to 14-0 with 3:01 remaining in the quarter. He rushed for 144 yards in last Saturday’s win over Mississippi State, he ended the 1st quarter with 121 yards and two scores on four carries.

Auburn outgained Vanderbilt, 154-83 in the first quarter, with Hunter’s two long runs being the highlights. The Tigers’ defense held both Vanderbilt quarterbacks, Ken Seals and Walter Taylor, to 26 passing yards on five completions.

In a similar fashion to Auburn’s quick 1st quarter start, Vanderbilt had a hot start of their own in the 2nd quarter. On a 3rd down play inside their own five-yard line, Auburn’s [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] threw an interception to Bryce Cowan which was returned for a touchdown. The five-yard pick-six trimmed Auburn’s lead to 14-7 with 12:15 remaining in the first half.

Both teams traded a few possessions throughout the second quarter before another score was added to the board. Auburn’s [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] connected on a 32-yard field goal with 0:20 remaining in the half to give the Tigers the 17-7 halftime lead.

Auburn outgained Vanderbilt, 226-93 in the yards department through one half. Hunter remained Auburn’s top rusher with 131 yards on nine carries while [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] led the team in receiving with 23 yards on two catches. Thorne completed 10-of-17 passes for 72 yards in the half, completing at least one pass to five different receivers.

Defensively, [autotag]DJ James[/autotag] led the team in tackles with six. As a unit, the defense created two quarterback hurries and two tackles for loss.

After struggling offensively in the 2nd quarter, Auburn made adjustments in the locker room that were immediately felt.

Auburn needed just three plays on their first drive of the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to 24-7. Thorne connected with tight end [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] for a 53-yard score with 13:36 to go in the quarter. Then, just four minutes later, Thorne flipped the football to freshman [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] for a five-yard touchdown pass to bump the lead to 31-7 with 9:44 to go in the 3rd.

The 3rd quarter would also see the Commodores’ first offensive touchdown. With 2:43 to go in the quarter, Seals threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Junior Sherill to trim Auburn’s lead to 31-15 following a successful two-point conversion play.

The 3rd quarter was Auburn’s best quarter offensively, as they gained 167 total yards. Thorne cracked the 100-yard mark for the third straight game by passing for 167 yards in the quarter, which brought his total up to 194 to that point.

Neither Auburn nor Vanderbilt posted a score in the first quarter, but a late interception by Nehemiah Pritchett sealed the Auburn win.

Hunter led the team in rushing with a season-high 183 rushing yards on 19 carries while Rivaldo Fairweather and Ja’varrius Johnson each recorded 62 receiving yards. Defensively, DJ James led the team in tackles with seven while five sacks were split between Eugene Asante, Zykevious Walker, Austin Keys, Jalen McLeod, Marcus Harris, and Cam Riley.

Auburn will hit the road for the second straight week next Saturday when they visit the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff. The Razorbacks upset Florida on Saturday in overtime, 36-33.

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Instant Analysis: Auburn ends losing streak with win over Mississippi State

A strong first half allowed Auburn to cruise to its first SEC win of the season.

It took five tries, but Hugh Freeze has earned his first SEC win as Auburn’s head coach.

Auburn used a dominating first half to coast past Mississippi State, 27-13, on Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn (4-4, 1-4 SEC) jumped out to a dominating 24-3 halftime lead after posting 301 total yards. Quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] appeared to be comfortable throughout the game, as he tossed three passing touchdowns in the first half on his way to a 230-yard performance. Mississippi State (4-4, 1-4 SEC) busted for 223 total yards in the second half, but they could not overcome the giant first-half deficit laid out by Auburn.

The Tigers dominated the first quarter by outgaining the Bulldogs, 163-77 en route to a 14-3 lead. Thorne completed eight passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. On the Tigers’ initial drive, he connected with [autotag]Shane Hooks[/autotag] on a 27-yard pass with 11:38 remaining in the quarter to put the Tigers up, 7-0.

After a Mississippi State field goal on their first possession, Thorne again led Auburn on a 75-yard drive that ended with a 45-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] to extend the Auburn lead to 14-3. [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] was the Tigers’ leading rusher with 61 yards on six carries.

Auburn added 10 points to their total in the second quarter to take a 24-10 lead into the locker room for halftime. Kicker [autotag]Alex McPherson[/autotag] jumped into the box score by connecting on a 39-yard field goal with 7:18 remaining in the 2nd quarter. The Tigers ended the half on a touchdown connection between Thorne and freshman running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag] for a seven-yard touchdown pass to extend the Auburn lead to 24-10 with 0:09 remaining.

Auburn’s first half ended with 301 total yards, compared to Mississippi State’s 122-yard output. Thorne ended the half with 192 passing yards and three scores with a completion percentage of 75%. He completed a pass to 11 different receivers in the first half, with [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag] hauling in three passes for 22 yards. Defensively, Keionte Scott and [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] recorded five tackles each. Asante and [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] had a tackle for loss.

The third quarter was rather quiet, as both teams traded field goals. Mississippi State’s Kyle Ferrie nailed his second field goal of the day from 40 yards with 9:10 to go in the quarter. McPherson answered with 3:14 to go in the 3rd quarter to extend Auburn’s lead to 27-6. Thorne added 32 yards to his passing total in the quarter to break the 200-yard mark for the second time this season.

State opened the 4th quarter by scoring their first touchdown of the game. Wright found Zavion Thomas from 14 yards away on the first play of the quarter to trim Auburn’s lead to 27-13. Mississippi State had a chance to cut the lead even more, but a fourth down attempt from the Auburn 13-yard line did not work in their favor, allowing Auburn to run out the clock.

Auburn outgained Mississippi State, 416-345. Thorne completed 20 passes to 11 different receivers, with Rivaldo Fairweather making four catches for 31 yards. Yardage-wise, Ja’Varrius Johnson led the team with 59 yards on two catches. Hunter’s day ended with 144 yards, which goes down as his first 100-yard game of the season.

Defensively, [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] led the team in tackles with nine, while [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] recorded two tackles for loss. [autotag]Zion Puckett[/autotag] recorded his second interception in as many games in the 4th quarter.

Auburn will go for their second SEC win of the season next week on the road at Vanderbilt. The Tigers and Commodores will face off at FirstBank Stadium next Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. LSU

Auburn is a major road underdog this week, but what does the Tale of the Tape say about their chances?

A pair of two-loss teams face off this weekend in Death Valley, as the 3-2 Auburn Tigers travel to take on the 4-2 No. 20 LSU Tigers in a SEC West showdown.

Auburn is coming off its bye week after nearly upsetting No. 1 Georgia two weekends ago.

LSU avoided a scare in Missouri last week, taking down the then-undefeated Missouri Tigers 49-39 in a game that saw a combined 1,060 yards of total offense.

LSU’s offense has been humming all year, led by Heisman candidate [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag]. Their defense has been the Achilles heel for the team, however, as they’ve allowed nearly 47 points per game this season.

Auburn’s story of the season is nearly the exact opposite, as the offense has struggled mightily while the defense has become a top unit in the country.

Auburn’s inept offense is one of the main reasons why they are 11.5-point underdogs in this game according to BetMGM.

ESPN’s FPI doesn’t love Auburn’s chances at an upset either, as the model gives the unranked Tigers a 24.1% chance at stealing one in Death Valley.

Will a deeper dive into the tale of the tape show Auburn has a higher chance of ending its two-game losing streak than the experts believe? As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Auburn has struggled to throw the ball all season with quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag]. Through the first five games, Thorne has thrown for 643 yards (128.6 YPG), 4 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.

The junior transfer has also run the ball 45 times, collecting 195 yards on the ground and scoring twice.

LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] has more than tripled that production. In six games, Daniels has thrown for 1,969 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has thrown just 2 interceptions.

The senior has also done damage on the ground, rushing the ball 75 times for 422 yards and 4 touchdowns.

LSU has the clear advantage at quarterback, and it’s not anywhere close. The offensive skill position-player difference tells much of the same story.

Auburn has failed to get much of anything from pass-catchers not named J[autotag]ay Fair[/autotag] or [autotag]Rivaldo Fairweather[/autotag], while LSU has arguably the best receiver in the nation in [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and a contingent of solid players behind him.

Nabers alone has tallied 771 yards and 6 touchdowns through 6 games. The 771 yards are just 10 less than all Auburn pass-catchers combined, albeit in one extra game.

[autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] has been the preferred second option for [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], as the junior has collected 603 yards and scored a team-leading 9 touchdowns this season.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]’s team has also been better rushing the ball, as they’ve rushed for 5.7 yards per carry compared to Auburn’s 4.8 this season.

LSU is leaps and bounds better than Auburn right now on the offensive side of the ball.

The same can’t be said for the defense, as the road team has the clear advantage in this one.

Even after getting pounced by [autotag]Carson Beck[/autotag]and [autotag]Brock Bowers[/autotag] in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, Auburn’s defense still ranks 31st in the country in total yards allowed per game (349) and 26th in points allowed per game (19.5).

LSU’s defense, on the other hand, is not good. The Tigers are giving up an outrageous 36.8 points and 470.8 yards per game.

Auburn’s contingent of playmakers on the defensive side gives them a clear advantage in this one.

The LSU offense is elite, the defense is not.

The Auburn defense is elite, the offense is not.

This game is going to come down to which team takes advantage of the other side’s weakness first. If the Auburn defense can play the way they’ve been playing, and the offense can take advantage of a bad LSU defense, they have a chance to end their losing skid at two games.

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