AUBURN, Ala. — Lucky, plucky or just plain good?
Fourth-ranked Auburn and No. 6 LSU are the SEC’s survivors, winning with gutsy comebacks and play-calling, and even being on the right side of officiating rulings.
Neither team has been perfect, but their records remain so at least until after today’s latest SEC game of the year at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a lucky undefeated team because there’s nothing lucky about wins in the SEC,” LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “Youget them or you don’t.”
Indeed, the league that has produced the past four national champions will only have one remaining unbeaten by dinnertime today. Both Tigers are 7-0 with four SEC victories.
Auburn has reached this point behind quarterback Cam Newton, perhaps the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and three comeback victories. Newton’s Tigers also had two touchdowns survive replay reviews in last weekend’s 65-43 shootout with Arkansas.
LSU has thrived behind the SEC’s top defense and the running of Stevan Ridley. Not to mention a fortuitous bounce on a fake field goal called by Coach Les Miles against Florida and that infamous secondchance touchdown against Tennessee.
“That says they must be a close team like we are if they’ve been winning like we have,” said Auburn left tackle Lee Ziemba (Rogers). “They must be as willing to fight for each other as the guys are here. It’s a testament to the guys they have there and the coaches.”
Maybe both teams are lucky, plucky and good. They are certainly in surprising positions in a Western Division where Alabama and Arkansas received most of the preseason attention.
Both remain defiant aboutany remaining skeptics.
Auburn linebacker Josh Bynes: “We’re not trying to convince nobody. I really don’t care. We don’t believe in that, to be honest with you. As long as the 150 guys and the coaches in the room believe that we canhandle it, that’s all that I really care about.”
Peterson: “We really don’t understand why people are still dumping on LSU as a team, dumping on Coach Miles. I mean, we’re winning games. We’re 7-0. We’ve got a chance to go 8-0 come Saturday.”
The game today should pit strength against strength. Auburn leads the league and is sixth nationally in rushing behind the gliding speed and linebackerlike power of Newton. LSU leads the league in run defense and hopes to be the first to find a way to contain Newton.
LSU counters with the nation’s No. 3 overall defense, giving up 242 yards a game. LSU also found the formula for stopping Gus Malzahn’s pre-Newton offense in last year’s 31-10 victory.
LSU has won the past three meetings since a 7-3 loss in 2006, back when defense ruled on the Plains. Auburn was ranked third and LSU sixth in a similarly meaningful showdown.
Auburn offensive lineman Mike Berry was a freshman on that team that was handled by Arkansas three weeks later.
“We were undefeated going into the Arkansas game, we were undefeated and we had beaten a real good LSU team,” he said. “Being a youngguy myself, I was on the bandwagon. I was like, ‘We’re going to the national championship. We can do this.’
“It’s one of those things where you can’t talk about it too early, because you can get beat any game. You’ve got to stay focused and humble.”
Sports, Pages 25 on 10/23/2010