Louisiana State @ Auburn preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2015 ) Auburn 21, Louisiana State 45

Leonard Fournette is firmly cemented as a fixture for the LSU offense, but the 18th-ranked Tigers know that their quarterback position is much more of an uncertainty. Danny Etling delivered a solid performance last week and will be back under center Saturday in an SEC clash at Auburn.

Etling took over for Brandon Harris a couple of weeks ago and played mistake-free football last Saturday, passing for 215 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers in a three-point win against Mississippi State. Still, coach Les Miles did not appear ready this week to commit to Etling for the remainder of the season. "What we're going to do is we're going to let Danny take the next snaps and continue his path and hope that he continues to improve," Miles said, "and at some point in time down the road we're going to look around and say, 'Boy that quarterback play that we got was great.'" Of course, Fournette will likely be the centerpiece of the LSU offense against an Auburn team that has been very competitive in losses to top 15 foes Clemson and Texas A&M.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: LSU -3.5.

ABOUT LSU (2-1, 1-0 SEC): Fournette ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-21 win against Auburn last season and is coming off a 147-yard, two-touchdown effort versus Mississippi State. Etling, who was making his first start for LSU after transferring from Purdue, said, "I continue to get more and more comfortable with the first team guys" after going 19-of-30 for 215 yards. Etling hopes to have his offensive line intact this week after four linemen limped off against the Bulldogs, forcing a variety of movement across the unit, including Ethan Pocic moving from center to tackle.

ABOUT AUBURN (1-2, 0-1): The Tigers' lone win is a rout over Arkansas State, although they lost by six against Clemson in their opener and fell in a hard-fought contest against Texas A&M last weekend. Sean White managed the game for Auburn while his teammates combined for 238 rushing yards on 46 carries. Kamryn Pettway has run for 152 and 123 yards in the last two weeks, respectively, earning high praise from wideout Ryan Davis, who called him "the perfect back that you would want."

EXTRA POINTS

1. LSU has captured eight of the last 11 meetings between the teams.

2. Since sacks became an official stat in 1980, no LSU player has recorded more sacks in the first three games of a season than DE Arden Key (five).

3. Auburn will attempt to become the first team to score a first-quarter point against LSU this season.

PREDICTION: Auburn 23, LSU 20