LSU faces another Top 10 team as Auburn comes to ruin season

BATON ROUGE -- When the Auburn Tigers come to Death Valley Saturday afternoon, it will be the third Top 10 team that the LSU Tigers (7-0, 3-0) will face this season.
Auburn (6-1, 3-1) enters the game as the No. 9 team in the latest Associated Press poll. The Tigers’ only blemish on the season, a 24-13 loss to the Florida Gators, came three weeks ago.
It is not secret as to what this game means in terms of National Championship implications. A win by LSU, and the Tigers go into the bye week unblemished with the more than likely undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide lurking around the corner.
So, what does LSU need to do in order to set up the possible No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with Alabama that everyone on planet Earth has been pointing to?
First and foremost, LSU must make Auburn a one-dimensional team. Last week against an albeit terrible Arkansas team, Auburn was able to rack up 298 rushing yards on 51 carries. So far, Auburn has averaged 239.2 yards on the ground.
However, in the loss to Florida, Auburn could only muster 124 total yards rushing. Because of that, the Gators made freshman quarterback Bo Nix have to be the man to carry Auburn to victory.
With the pressure that Florida was able to put on Nix because of the absent running game, the young signal caller threw three interceptions and collected a meager 145 passing yards. Basically what the Gators did was expose Nix as a quarterback who is rattled easily.
Secondly, LSU must continue to protect Joe Burrow. The LSU offensive line has grown over the past several weeks into a unit that does not give up big sacks. On the year, the O-Line has only surrendered 12 sacks, an average of 1.71 per game.
One of the biggest trends that has given LSU an added dimension is the success of the running game. In three of the last four games, LSU is averaging 215.7 yards per game on the ground.
That success in the run game keeps defenses honest and allows Burrow and his receivers better opportunities to add to their unbelievable numbers they have put up so far this season.
Third down conversions will be huge in this game. The LSU defense has had issues getting off of the field on third and long situations. They must take advantage of the home crowd and force Auburn to punt the ball away, especially when it is third and long.
Finally, LSU must continue to win the turnover battle. Up until now, LSU has a +5 advantage over their opponents in the turnover department. The hometown Tigers need to take a page out of Florida’s defensive playbook and get Nix out of his game and create valuable INT’s.