2017 The LSU Game

Here we go again in this historic series.  I say historic series bearing in mind that there was a time in the old SEC days when these two schools seldom played.  When things changed starting in 1992 LSU and Auburn started playing every year and have so ever since.  When Terry Bowden's bunch won in Baton Rouge in 1993 it was the first time we had won there in 53 years.  Mostly it was because the two institutions seldom played each other.  Now the Tigers are hoping to win at so-called Death Valley for the first time since the Tommy Tuberville days of 1999.  Auburn is a 6 or 7 point favorite.  LSU lost shockingly at home to Troy but bounced back last week to win in Gainesville 17 to 16.  Strange things can happen in this game.  What will happen today?

FIRST QUARTER

The Tigers get off to a rip-roaring fast start.
We receive and drive to a 47 yard FG.
Next two possession two touchdowns.
The second comes after a long screen pass completion to Ryan Davis to the LSU 5.
Kerryon Johnson powers in from there.

Auburn 17  LSU 0

Still in the first quarter Auburn has the ball back again.
From their 23 KJ runs to a first down to the 36.
The quarter ends with the Tigers facing third and 9 from their 37.
Great first quarter!
We can't let up.

SECOND QUARTER

There's a beautiful first down completion to Darius Slayton.
KJ running like a man on fire.
First down run to the LSU 20.
A couple of five yard penalties and we move back to a third and 22.
A timeout or else there would have another penalty.
A little sloppy here.
It would be a long FG attempt if we don't convert.
We can't convert and move to a long FG attempt.
The 48 attempt is good!  Carlson is money in the bank.
Auburn extends the lead.

Auburn 20  LSU 0

LSU starts backed up after a block in the back but there is a good run to the 23 on the first play.
Next play a huge 70 yard run to the AU 8 on the jet sweep.
LSU was successful last week vs. Florida on that jet sweep.
LSU is at the one yard line third down.
After an AU offsides our defense stops them up the middle.
The score comes around right end on 4th down as we miss a tackle.
We stop them running between the tackles.
All LSU has is jet sweeps but it's good enough on this drive.

Auburn 20  LSU 7

LSU gets a 70 yard gain on a jet sweep and have to resort to a jet sweep on the one to score.
The Tigers go three and out.
I was hoping our offense would respond but we are punting for the first time.
LSU will start at their 29 after the punt.
LSU does a lot of shifting on offense before the snap.
LSU goes three and out.
Stephen Roberts fair catches at the Tiger 30 with 6:21 left.
KJ runs for 9 to the 39.
KJ runs to the 49 for the first down.
KJ to the LSU 47.
Pass completion to the LSU 32 to Ryan Davis!
The Tigers move to a first down to the 10.
Stove to the 8 on the sweep.
KJ stopped on the wildcat.
We are not getting on the wildcat between the tackles.
Incomplete pass to Slayton on third down.
Carlson makes the FG.
That's three field goals for the day.
The offense is looking good BUT we can't keep settling for threes.

Auburn 23  LSU 7

2:16 to go as LSU assumes possession.
LSU gets a big pass on first down as our defender went for the interception instead of the tackle.
A 6 yard hitch turns into a 40 yard gain.
LSU is on our 38.
First down to the 27.
Almost an interception but ruled correctly incomplete.
First down LSU to the 14 with less than a minute to go.
Tray Matthews is out with a hamstring issue.
Touchdown LSU and is they back in the game.

Auburn 23  LSU 14

Well, this is Auburn and LSU, isn't it?
Crazy things always seem to happen in this series.
Carlton Davis took a chance on that long gain and it cost us.
Then we almost had the interception.
A game of inches indeed.
The half ends.
We had LSU 20 to 0 but now it's 23 to 14 and they get the ball coming out.
Bogging down in the red zone and having to settle for three field goals hasn't helped.
We have lost the momentum as the first half ends.

THIRD QUARTER

LSU receives to start the half and drives across but then punts to our 10.
Here comes our first possession of the second half.
After one first down we punt to their 25.
Our defense has stalled after a great start.
Pettway has been in the game.  Why, I don't know because it is obvious he is not near 100%.
This game will be a nail-biter before it's over.
This will be another crazy Auburn-LSU game.
LSU quickly goes three and out.
Defense looks good on that series.
AU starts at their 30 with 4:31 to go in the quarter.
The Tigers go three and out.
The offense goes three and out for the second straight time in this quarter.
This has to change if we are going to win this game.
LSU starts at their 24 with 3:06 to go.
This game is scary because the longer we leave LSU in this game the more likely we will lose.
LSU gets a back shoulder completion to midfield.  Tray Matthews is out of the game.
The drive stops there at the AU 49.
The punt goes into the end zone with 58 seconds to go in the quarter.
From the 20 KJ runs between the tackles for three to the 23.
KJ go the 25.
The offense playing conservative as the quarter ends.
A scoreless third quarter.
Very scary.
23 to 14.

FOURTH QUARTER

i almost dread the fourth quarter of this game.
It's Auburn and LSU.  What crazy things are going to happen???
Well, my question is answered on the first play of the quarter.
LSU runs our punt back for the distance.
A possible block in the back against Stove is not called.
Something like this was bound to happen.
At least it happened early the quarter.
Yikes!

Auburn 23  LSU 21

Our offense has been comatose in the second half.
If our offense doesn't show up now we will lose a game we once led 20 to 0.
Our offense has to be aggressive again.
From the 25 KJ runs to the 29.
KJ runs close to the first down.
Third and short.
Stove runs for the first down around left end.
From the AU 41.
KJ to the 45.
The offense is still very conservative.
KJ runs to the 50 a yard short of the first down.
No gain.  Still a yard short.
From midfield we choose to punt.
If we lose this game this will be a determining play.
Short 24 punt.  LSU only needs a field goal to take the lead.
This has turned into the hairy game I expected all along with these two teams and their history.
The pressure is on as LSU gets a big special team score and our offense is dead.
LSU quickly moves to their 42 behind their good RB Guise.
But there is a grounding call against LSU with loss of down.
LSU moves to third and 15.
The clock ticks toward 9 minutes.
There is a long completion to the Auburn 33 for a huge gain.  Better execution than our defense.
Their QB is sacked.
The possession moves to 4th and 12 and LSU is punting.  Somehow our defense holds.
The punt dies at the Auburn three with a little over 7 minutes to go.
The defense holds but we are backed up to our end line.  OH, my!
A yard loss.  An incompletion.  Delay of game.  Big trouble.
Stidham runs out of bounds at the four.
LSU should have great field position only needing a field goal to take the lead.
LSU starts at the Auburn 45 with 6:40 to go.  OH, my!
This game is almost unbearable.
It will take something special to keep LSU from scoring again.
Our defense has tried to carry this team in the second half by necessity.
Can they hold out?
The possession moves to 4th an inches from the 25 with 2:41 left.
LSU will attempt the 42 yard field goal.
The kick is good and LSU takes the lead.
With 2:36 to go AU will have one more possession with three timeouts left.

Auburn 23  LSU 24

Can our offense respond after showing nothing in the second half?
This is a championship moment for the Auburn Tigers.
It's long a long shot for sure.
No gain on the first play from the 25.
LSU has evidently make correct defensive adjustments.
A dropped pass on second down.  Should have been caught.
Another dropped pass. That's TWO straight dropped passes.
4th and 10 after two dropped passes.
It comes down to this.
Dropped passes have doomed us.
4th down pass incomplete and that's it.
LSU will win this game.

LSU gets another field goal.

Auburn 23  LSU 27

LSU comes back from a 20 to 0 deficit to win this game.
Not a good three quarters for Auburn.  A dominant first quarter leads to a three quarter collapse.
We got the quick start we needed but it was all for naught.
LSU is not as good as Auburn but we lose.
It hurts most to lose to a team you know you should have beaten.
LSU made the adjustments and wanted it more as our offense went into a tank.
A top ten team does not lose this game.  So be it.
LSU is NOT as good as Auburn but they win this game.

Auburn gets one last possession with 38 seconds to go.
75 yards needed for a touchdown.
But as Pat Dye says, there are no miracles on the football field.
The last Auburn snap comes with 7 seconds left from our 36.
Stidham is sacked with 2 seconds to go.
Big comeback for LSU and a disappointing  collapse for Auburn.
20 points in the first quarter and only 3 the rest of the way.
"A complete collapse," says Stan White.
This is NOT a good LSU team.  The offense became one-dimensional.  We had dropped passes.  Whatever on offense.  The defense held out as long it could.  One again we lose in Baton Rouge.

FINAL SCORE

Auburn 23  LSU 27