1. Defending Newton: The truth is that nobody really has put the clamps on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who’s leading the SEC in rushing and making a serious run at the Heisman Trophy. But in LSU's defense, he will go up against the best defensive line he’s faced all season, some of the fastest linebackers he’s faced, as well as some of the best-tackling defensive backs. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis will pick his spots in coming after Newton, and Chavis also has confidence in his cornerbacks, namely Patrick Peterson, to leave them back there alone in man coverage and devote more defenders to stopping Newton in the running game.
2. LSU’s passing game: Jarrett Lee is likely to see the most action he’s seen all season at quarterback for the Tigers, who know they have to take advantage of Auburn’s deficiencies in defending the pass if they’re going to win this game. LSU did throw for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the 33-29 win over Florida. But those are the only touchdown passes the Tigers have thrown this season other than the two Jordan Jefferson threw in the opener against North Carolina. And in four of their past six games, the Tigers have finished with 112 or fewer passing yards. Making some big plays in the passing game will be critical for LSU if the Tigers are going to win this game.
3. Fourth-quarter prowess: It’s pretty well established by now that Auburn loves the fourth quarter. The Tigers have outscored teams this season 72-21 after the third quarter, which also counts the overtime period against Clemson. Even more impressively, Auburn has forced seven turnovers in the fourth quarter against the last two nationally ranked teams it’s faced -- Arkansas and South Carolina. How has LSU fared in the fourth quarter? Not bad. LSU has outscored teams 55-36 in the fourth quarter, but just about all of those points by the opponents have come in two games. North Carolina scored 14 points in the fourth quarter in the opener, and Florida scored 15 points in the final quarter two weeks ago.
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