Gus Malzahn’s 2013 Auburn Tigers team was 3-0 and coming off a late comeback to beat Mississippi State at home.

Its next task was a night game at Death Valley against then No. 6 LSU. What happened that night could be considered forgettable on every level.

LSU sucker-punched Auburn out of the gate, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the second-quarter plagued by two Auburn turnovers in the first-quarter. LSU held on to win the game 35-21 behind Jeremy Hill’s 184 yards and three scores on the ground.

Tre Mason rushed for 132 yards and the offense went on to record-setting performances over the final eight games of the season. Auburn reeled off 10 straight wins on its way to an SEC Championship and an appearance in the BCS National Championship game. That game, however, in early September in Baton Rouge was anything but forgettable for Malzahn.

“I’ve still got a bad taste in my mouth from the LSU game last year,” Malzahn said on his radio show Monday night. “First half, we were embarrassing and they let us have it.”

Auburn now enters the 2014 edition of the rivalry game 4-0 and No. 5 in the country. The offense, though, has yet to click as it did during the 10-game winning streak last season. Nick Marshall has been inconsistent in the passing game. Neither Cameron Artis-Payne or Corey Grant has staked claim to the running back position, and Auburn has had some issues in run blocking. LSU, also, now marks the beginning of an October-November gauntlet that is widely-regarded as the toughest schedule in the country; it plays six ranked opponents over its final eight games.

And if all of that isn’t motivation enough, surely avenging its only SEC loss from a year ago is.

“Our guys should be very motivated to play better in this game and there’s no question we’ve struggled a little bit against LSU in the past,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee told AL.com. “It’s a great credit to them and to [defensive coordinator John] Chavis. They do a really good job of what they do. They’re really good at it. It’s going to be a good challenge to try to redeem ourselves and play well.”

Auburn – a nine-point favorite – is at or near the top 25 statistically in most offensive categories, but holes have been exposed. Auburn has struggled with big plays at times and has not been very good on 3rd downs.

It now faces true freshman Brandon Harris, who Malzahn and his staff praised as a “Mini Cam.” Harris made the loss to Mississippi State interesting late with a couple of touchdown throws. He then replaced Anthony Jennings last week against New Mexico State and torched the Aggies for five total touchdowns.

Auburn knows it will get the Bayou Bengals’ best. And that should provide plenty of motivation.

“I think both teams are extremely motived no matter what happened last week or the week before,” Malzahn said. “We know we’re going to get their best and they’re going to get our best. We’re going to see who’s better.”