âI said itâ: Former Auburn linebacker predicts Hugh Freezeâs Tigers will upset No. 22 LSU
Chaos tends to ensue anytime the Auburn Tigers and LSU Tigers meet on the football field.
With the exception Auburn’s lopsided, 48-11 win over LSU at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2020, each of the two team’s last seven meetings have been decided by five points or fewer.
When former linebacker Takeo Spikes played at Auburn from 1995-97, it was the same story as Auburn went 1-2 against the Bayou Bengals, but never lost or won by more than six points.
“This is a weird rivalry,” Spikes said Wednesday on SEC Network. “And they don’t call it a rivalry for nothing.”
And with such a funky background, Spikes is cautioning those who think the No. 22-ranked LSU Tigers are going to run off with a win Saturday night.
With quarterback Jayden Daniels piloting an explosive LSU offense, the expectation is a high-scoring game.
However, Spikes isn’t so sure that will be the case.
“Will this be a high-scoring game?,” Spikes asked. “We know Jayden Daniels. We know what he can do and he’s been consistently doing it. But I don’t know.”
Daniels sits atop the SEC in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency. He’s also among the top three in the country in each of those categories, not to mention his ability to run the football.
Earlier this week, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said he wasn’t sure totally stopping Daniels was possible.
“I don’t think you stop him,” Freeze said of Daniels. “There’s too many weapons around him, and he’s too good. The keys of this game is: Can we hold them to field goals? Truthfully.”
But somewhere on paper and with the added drama of this rivalry, Spikes sees a path for Auburn to shock the 22nd-ranked team in the country and escape LSU’s Death Valley with a win.
“Maybe it could be an upset… I don’t know,” Spikes said, drawing surprised reactions from SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang and Peter Burns.
“Are you saying that?,” Burns asked Spikes.
“I said it,” Spikes replied.