Auburn searches for a running game after 67-yard showing against LSU

Auburn ran into a wall against LSU. The Tigers finished Saturday's 38-17 home loss with 67 rushing yards, and that figure includes yardage lost on sacks. Quarterback Byrum Brown, whose legs are central to the offense, gained just 21 yards on the ground, Roundtable Sports reported.

The outlet put Auburn's sacks allowed at seven, while ABC 33/40 counted six. Under either count, LSU's front controlled the line of scrimmage. At the other end of the field, LSU piled up 552 yards of offense. Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns, and Jackson Harris caught nine passes for 178 yards and two scores, according to ABC 33/40. LSU led 31-10 at halftime, which took the run out of Auburn's plan for the rest of the night.

Offensive coordinator Joel Gordon said the problem was execution more than design. He pointed to a Brown keeper with a favorable look that he believes would have turned into a big gain if blocked cleanly, and he gave LSU's defensive linemen credit for shedding blocks. Gordon said Brown will keep carrying the ball, which matters for an offense that has few other answers. Head coach Alex Golesh framed the job as turning short gains into steady four-to-six-yard runs that keep the offense ahead of the chains. "We've got to find ways to creatively run the football," Golesh said, per Roundtable Sports. He also said the sacks did not excuse the rushing total on their own.

The swing from the week before was sharp. Auburn won 27-24 at top-ranked Georgia, and that upset depended on the offense staying balanced. Against LSU, the offense could not do that.

What it means for Ole Miss

The Tigers now play their second road game in three weeks against a ranked team, visiting No. 12 Ole Miss on Saturday (SEC Network). Auburn is 4-3 and has alternated wins and losses for five straight games. Its road results this season are a 10-point loss at Tennessee and the win in Athens. Ole Miss is 5-2 and coming off a 34-27 loss at Texas. The Rebels have scored 28 or more points in six of seven games, and they beat LSU 32-24 earlier this season. Gordon praised the Ole Miss defensive front's talent and experience this week, so this is not a soft matchup for an offense trying to fix its rushing problem.

The market agrees. On this site's board, which tracks 11 venues, Ole Miss is favored by 12.5 points on Novig at -111, with Auburn +12.5 priced at +104. The spread varies by two full points across the venues. The best Ole Miss number is -11.5 at Hard Rock Bet (-120), and the best Auburn number is +13.5 at Fanatics (-110). On the moneyline, Novig has Ole Miss at -456 and Auburn at +426. Sportsbook hold on the side markets runs from about 4 to 7 percent. Novig lists the total at 57.5, and FanDuel's 56.5 is the best over price available.

A two-touchdown spread suggests the market expects the LSU version of Auburn to show up, not the team that won at Georgia. Whether that holds will likely depend on the same thing Golesh and Gordon spent the week talking about: getting Brown and the run game moving early enough that the offense doesn't have to throw on every down.