No. 18 LSU rolls past Auburn 38-17 as Sam Leavitt throws for 387 yards and Jackson Harris scores twice

LSU’s offense had its best day of the season at the right time. Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns, Jackson Harris caught nine passes for 178 yards and two scores, and No. 18 LSU beat Auburn 38-17 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at a sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium.

LSU improved to 6-2 and 3-2 in the SEC. Auburn dropped to 4-3 and 2-3.

How LSU took control

The game was tied 3-3 after a Scott Starzyk field goal for LSU and an Alex McPherson field goal for Auburn. Then Leavitt went 6 for 6 on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Harris late in the first quarter.

LSU’s next scoring drive covered 95 yards in 14 plays after Auburn punter Hudson Kaak pinned the Tigers at their own 5 with a career-long 69-yard punt. LSU kept that drive alive with a trick play on fourth-and-2 from its own 31, a Leavitt pass to Trey’Dez Green for 11 yards, and Green finished it with a 15-yard touchdown catch. An apparent Auburn interception by Eric Winters earlier on the drive was overturned on replay, according to Auburn Athletics.

Auburn answered with its best drive of the half. Quarterback Byrum Brown escaped on third-and-12 and ran 34 yards to the LSU 1, then scored on the next play to make it 17-10.

Three plays later, Leavitt found Harris over the middle on third-and-5 for a 70-yard touchdown, LSU’s longest play since 2024, per LSU Athletics. Auburn Athletics called it perhaps the game’s pivotal moment. Leavitt then ran in from 4 yards with 17 seconds left in the half for a 31-10 lead.

LSU’s 31 first-half points were its most against an SEC opponent since 2020, the school said.

Scoring summary

Sam Leavitt and Jackson Harris

Leavitt finished 32 of 45 for 387 yards with no interceptions and added 54 rushing yards and a touchdown, accounting for four scores. LSU said it was his ninth career game with three or more touchdown passes. Harris posted his eighth career 100-yard receiving game and now has seven touchdown catches this season. Running back Dilin Jones added 92 rushing yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.

LSU’s defense: seven sacks

LSU’s defense sacked Auburn quarterbacks seven times, with two from edge rusher Jordan Ross, and finished with 12 tackles for loss. Auburn ran for just 67 yards on 35 carries.

Auburn football: what Alex Golesh said

Brown completed 15 of 24 passes for 160 yards without a turnover for the second straight game. Keshaun Singleton led Auburn with four catches for 64 yards. Backup quarterback Tristan Ti’a scored his first career touchdown on a 7-yard run with 24 seconds left.

“We didn’t effectively move the ball offensively, seven of 11 drives for four plays or less,” coach Alex Golesh said, according to Auburn Athletics. “That was not what you would want Auburn football to be by any means.”

On the ground game, Golesh said LSU “did a good job with figuring out a way to keep it bottled up.” Auburn did extend a school-record streak, scoring in its 173rd consecutive game.

What’s next

LSU has an open date next week and returns Nov. 7 at home against Alabama; time and TV were still to be announced. Auburn plays at No. 7 Ole Miss next Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT (12:45 p.m. ET) on SEC Network.

FAQ