AUBURN, Ala. – JaTarvious Whtlow rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown but No. 12 LSU kicked a field goal as time expired to beat No. 7 Auburn 22-21.
"We didn't make the plays to win and they did," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "We've got to be big boys. We've got to keep our chin up. We've got to understand this setback and move forward, and we're going to have to put it behind us. That's what quality teams do."
LSU, aided by two pass-interference penalties, drove 52 yards on 14 plays to set up Cole Tracy's 42-yard game winner.
Leading 14-10 in the third quarter, Jarrett Stidham's 4-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton on third-and-goal gave Auburn a two-score lead.
"It was a good play call," Slayton said. "They ran hard with the flood, three backs and a tight end to the right, and just left a gap right there. I just settled down and Jarrett found me."
Slayton's touchdown marked 21 unanswered points for Auburn, turning a 10-point deficit into an 11-point lead. Auburn's drive began at its own 45, after LSU's fake punt jump pass fell incomplete.
LSU kicked a field goal late in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-13, then scored on a 71-yard pass from Joe Burrow to Derrick Dillon to make it 21-19 with 8:18 to play.
LSU went for two, hoping to tie, but Jamel Dean broke up Burrow's pass in the end zone, preserving Auburn's lead.
Deshaun Davis led Auburn's defense with 13 tackles, a sack and four tackles for loss. Derrick Brown added nine tackles.
"I tip my hat to them, they made some big plays when they needed to," Davis said.
Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter after an LSU field goal, Auburn drove 75 yards on 10 plays for its first score.
On third-and-6, Stidham connected with Slayton for 9 yards, then found Seth Williams for 19 yards across midfield.
From the 7, Whitlow ran up the middle for Auburn's first touchdown, trimming LSU's lead to 10-7.
Auburn's defense responded with a three-and-out, with a third down sack from Davis forcing an LSU punt, giving the home team possession again less than a minute after its touchdown.
The Tigers marched 66 yards on nine plays to take the lead, mixing passes from Stidham to Williams and Chandler Cox with runs by Whitlow and Shaun Shivers.
Shivers gave Auburn a 14-10 lead with a 7-yard touchdown run to the left with 1:31 remaining in the half.
Stidham completed 16 of 28 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. Whitlow averaged 4.7 yards on 22 carries, including a 19-yarder.
"Last year, we bounced back after the LSU game and had a great run," Stidham said. "I think this year we're going to have to do the same thing. All of our goals are still in front of us, but we're going to have to play a lot better to reach our goals."
LSU led 7-0 after capitalizing on an interception on Auburn's first possession at Auburn's 34. The Bengal Tigers added a field goal with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter to lead 10-0.
Auburn remains at Jordan-Hare Stadium next week, hosting Arkansas.
"It's an emotional roller coaster for sure," said Cox, who made three catches for 20 yards. "It's college football. It happens. We've got to learn from it and move on. We'll be okay."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Auburn vs. LSU Notes
- Captains: Deshaun Davis, Ryan Davis, Jarrett Stidham
- Coin Toss: LSU wins toss and defers. Auburn will receive.
- Eagle Flight: Spirit from flagpole
- Attendance: 86,787
TEAM NOTES
- First-time starters for Auburn: Tucker Brown, Shaun Shivers
- Auburn allowed a touchdown in the first quarter for just the fourth time in the last 22 games and for the first time since the ULM game last November 18
- Auburn is now 48-32-5 all-time in SEC openers and 21-5 over the last 26 SEC opening games. Auburn is 56-25-2 all-time in SEC home openers.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/OFFENSE
- Shaun Shivers scored his second rushing touchdown of the season; the first was against Alabama State
- JaTarvious Whitlow rushed for 100 yards for the second consecutive game. Whitlow scored his second rushing touchdown of the season; the first was against Washington
- Seth Williams' 19-yard reception tied a career long
- Ryan Davis is now in sixth place among Auburn career receiving leaders with 122 career receptions; he passes Frank Sanders (121 catches from 1991-94) with 3 receptions today
- Asa Martin gains 33 yards on his first career reception
- Darius Slayton scores his first touchdown reception of the season and the seventh of his career. The TD pass from Jarrett Stidham was his third of the season and the 22nd of his Auburn career
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/DEFENSE
- Deshaun Davis recorded his first sack of the season and fifth of his career. Davis recorded the fifth double-figure tackle game of his career
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/SPECIAL TEAMS
- Arryn Siposs' 51-yard punt in the second quarter was the longest of his career
- Auburn now holds the SEC record for consecutive PAT with 237, passing the park of 234 set by Texas A&M from 2013-17. Anders Carlson is now 9-9 on PAT for his career.