AUBURN TIGERS at LSU TIGERS 6:45 p.m. (C) * Tiger Stadium (91,600) * Baton Rouge LIVE TELEVISION: ESPN (Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Mike Gottfried, analyst; Adrian Karsten, sideline reporter) AUBURN (5-2, 4-0 SEC) Head Coach: Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas, 1976) Overall/Yrs: 60-41 (.594) / 9th season AU/Yrs: 35-21 (.625) / 5th season National Rankings: 17th - AP / 21st - USA Today/ESPN Formations: Offense - Pro Style * Defense - 4-3 Internet Web Address: www.auburntigers.com Key Players QB Jason Campbell (6-4, 223, Jr., Taylorsville, Miss.) Has completed 89-of-145 passes for 1127 yards with 5 TDs and 3 INTs in 2003 ... 5th in the SEC in pass efficiency (133.9 rating) ... Set school record vs. Western Kentnucky, completing 12-of-13 passes for a 92.3 percent completion rate ... In last 5 games, has completed 57-of-86 passes (66.3) for 816 yards with 5 TDs and 1 INT (162.9 QB rating). TB Carnell Williams (5-11, 204, Jr., Attalla, Ala.) Third in the SEC in rushing with 713 yards on 138 carries and 10 TDs this season ... Has been named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for three straight weeks, the first player to accomplish that feat ... Has rushed for 185 yards and a TD vs. Tennessee; 150 yards and a TD vs. Arkansas and 161 yards and 6 TDs vs. Miss. State ... Has rushed for 2,072 career rushing yards and 26 TDs. LB Karlos Dansby (6-5, 235, Sr., Birmingham, Ala.) Leads team with 47 tackles (26 solos) ... Has 4 sacks for -22 yards, another 4 TFLs (-9) and a forced fumble this season ... Unanimous first-team All-SEC pick last season with 76 tackles, 14 TFLs (-51) and four sacks (-33). LB Dontarrious Thomas (6-4, 238, Sr., Perry, Ga.) Has 41 total tackles (18 solos), ranking second on the squad ... Has 5.5 TFL (-12), three pass deflections and one forced fumble ... Defensive MVP of Capital One Bowl last season with eight tackles, one sack and a pass deflection against Penn State ... Had 92 tackles last season, including 11 for losses. TEAM NOTES Of Auburn's last 10 opponents (dating back to 2002), 7 have been ranked in the top 10 entering the game (counting LSU this week). LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC) Head Coach: Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) Overall/Yrs: 75-39-1 (.656) / 10th season LSU/Yrs: 32-13 (.711) / 4th season National Rankings: 9th - AP / 9th - USA Today/ESPN Formations: Offense - Multiple * Defense - 4-3 Internet Web Address: www.lsusports.net Key Players QB Matt Mauck (6-2, 217, Jr., Jasper, Ind.) Third in the SEC in passing efficiency (142.5 rating) ... Has completed 115-of-182 passes for 1389 yards with 12 TDs and 6 INTs this season ... Against South Carolina, completed 24-of-30 passes for 199 yards with 2 TDs and an INT ... Is 11-2 in his career as a starting QB at LSU. WR Michael Clayton (6-4, 205, Jr., Baton Rouge, La.) Third in the SEC in receptions (35) and receiving yards (561) ... Averaging 16.0 yards per catch, second in SEC (min. 25 catches) ... Against Western Illinois, caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a TD ... Has four TD grabs in 2003 ... Had more than 100 receiving yards in each of first three games ... Had 5 catches for 60 yards vs. Florida. DB Corey Webster (6-0, 197, Sr., Vacherie, La.) SEC Defensive Player of the Week against Georgia ... Had an interception and five pass deflections along with nine tackles ... Had two interceptions vs. Western Illinois along with three PBUs and two tackles ... Has 28 tackles, 3 INTs (T4th in SEC) an SEC-high 16 PBUs in 2003 ... Led SEC last season with seven INTs and was first-team All-SEC pick. LB Lionel Turner (6-2, 255, Jr., Walker, La.) Leads LSU with 40 total tackles (26 solos) ... Also has two tackles behind the line (-12), which includes one sack (-11) ... Has also forced two fumbles and an interception ... Had sack vs. Arizona. TEAM NOTES Opponents have only scored four TDs in 13 chances when getting into the redzone against LSU. SERIES/GAME NOTES Record: LSU, 19-17-1 * Last: AU, 31-7 (10/26/2002 at Auburn) In games played in Baton Rouge, LSU leads, 10-5-1 ... In games played between 1988 and 1997, the contest was decided by a touchdown or less seven of eight times ... Since then, the winner has won by at least 12 points, including last year's 31-7 Auburn victory ... Nick Saban is 1-2 vs. Auburn while Tommy Tuberville is 5-3 against LSU (2-2 at Ole Miss, 3-1 at Auburn) ... Teams have met every year since 1992 ... Auburn leads 7-4 in games since 1992 ... The rivalry returns to Tiger Stadium, where, in 1988, LSU QB Tommy Hodson hit WR Eddie Fuller with a TD pass to help defeat Auburn, 7-6 ... The play caused such a thunderous ovation from the LSU faithful, that the seismograph machine in the LSU Geology Department registered the vibrations from the stadium ... Since SEC expansion in 1992, the teams have both been ranked in the AP Top 25 at gametime three times ... In 1996, #21 LSU defeated #14 Auburn, 19-15 ... In 1997, #12 Auburn defeated #10 LSU, 31-28 and in 2001, #22 LSU defeated #25 Auburn, 27-14. "Protect the Homeland Say no to War Eagles"
Btw, Defensive poll taken there has Auburn defense better than LSU's. Maybe we will get some RESPECT after Saturday.
