The Auburn Tigers won a track meet 42-35 over South Carolina Saturday night.

Here are five takeaways from the Auburn’s 42-35 win over LSU:

  • Back to the run: Auburn got back to what it does best, and that’s running the football. The Tigers totaled 395 yards rushing behind 100-yard efforts from Cameron Artis-Payne and Ricardo Louis. Nick Marshall added 89 yards to a strong effort. Run blocking was much improved for Auburn, especially from the H-back position. As a result, Nick Marshall had a nice night throwing the football.
  • Can anybody find a pass rush?: Dylan Thompson torched the Auburn secondary, largely because he had all day to throw. Steve Spurrier’s brilliant first half play-calling neutralized the Tigers’ ability to blitz and its front four got not pressure on Thompson whatsoever. Auburn still has to face very good passing teams in Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama. Its lack of pass rush could ultimately be the Tigers’ demise in 2014.
  • Survive and advance: It wasn’t pretty, but the Tigers are 1-0 in its gauntlet of six games to close out the regular season. Auburn has to win out to keep its hopes of an SEC West title and College Football Playoff berth alive, and it did just that. Spurrier, Thompson and company gave the Tigers all they wanted, but a win is a win.
  • Turnover margin looms big: As bad as it played defensively, Auburn still somehow managed to force three turnovers, all Thompson interceptions. The Tigers made the plays at key moments in the first quarter and fourth quarter to stop Carolina drives. The first interception swung the game from a potential 14-0 Auburn deficit to a 7-7 tie. The last two interceptions preserved the Tigers’ lead.
  • Get better: Auburn quickly needs to forget this win and move on to Ole Miss. The Rebels were upset by LSU in Death Valley Saturday night and will return home looking to rebound. The task doesn’t get any easier for the Tigers’ defense. Its ability to create pressure on Bo Wallace and force turnovers will be a huge key to the game.