Though Gus Malzahn's Auburn Tigers showed some fight during the second half, the LSU Tigers established a comfortable lead early and held off a late surge from Auburn en route to a 35-21 win in Death Valley.
Auburn vs. LSU final score: LSU holds on in Death Valley for 35-21 victory
Jeremy Hill carries LSU to impressive home victory against the overmatched but resilient Auburn Tigers.
Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Spor
LSU jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter, a run that was ignited by a pair of impressive Jeremy Hill touchdown runs of 49 yards and 10 yards. Hill’s second touchdown came on the first play after Auburn fumbled an attempted punt on its own 10 yard line.
GIF credit: ESPN
Auburn had a chance to get back in the game in the fourth quarter after a 12-yard Cameron Artis-Payne touchdown run brought the score to 35-21, but the onside kick attempt recovered by Cody Parkey was reviewed and ruled to be illegal touching. From there, LSU and Auburn traded punts as the clock continued to wind down and Auburn's chances of scoring two touchdowns to tie it up to force overtime became increasingly slim.
With less than two minutes to go, Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall led a drive deep into LSU territory that threatened to make things interesting, but it stalled out on a failed fourth down attempt in which Tre Mason was dragged down on a screen pass at the LSU 12.
Box Score Hero:
LSU running back Jeremy Hill could have quit halfway through the second quarter and still would have walked away with this honor. Hill finished the night with 183 and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries and had 140 of those two minutes into the second quarter.
Rankings Ramifications:
LSU looked good, but so did everybody in front of them. Expect the sixth-ranked Tigers to stand pat.
But Did They Cover?
When LSU pulled ahead 35-14, it appeared that folks picking Les Miles’ Tigers to cover the 17-point spread would be quite happy. But Auburn scored a late touchdown to secure a back-door cover.
For More On This Game:
For more on Auburn, check out College And Magnolia.
For more on LSU, check out And The Valley Shook.
Next Week’s Schedule:
LSU: 9/28, at Georgia
Auburn: 10/5, vs. Ole Miss
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