The Auburn Tigers have been one of the hottest teams in the country lately, bouncing back from a tough road loss to Clemson in Week 2 to climb to No. 10 in the AP Poll with an impressive 5-1 record.

Therefore, fans of arguably the nation’s best one-loss team may be inclined to say that Auburn needs to simply show up at LSU this weekend in order to earn a victory.

After all, LSU has struggled, falling to Troy two weeks ago in its homecoming game and also getting crushed on the road by Mississippi State.

However, it would be unwise for Auburn to overlook this game, as coach Ed Orgeron’s squad is hungry and motivated after picking up a big road win at Florida last week.

That said, this is a matchup that should favor Auburn, and it will be a disappointment if Gus Malzahn’s Tigers don’t leave Baton Rouge with a victory.

In order to keep rolling, here are three things Auburn needs to do on Saturday afternoon to ensure a win:

1. Score first

Auburn’s offense, with RB Kerryon Johnson and QB Jarrett Stidham, is built to protect leads. Scoring first will let the Tigers pound the ball on the ground and let Stidham complete his high-percentage passes off play-action.

With a smothering defense and a ball-control offense, it is very hard for opponents to come from behind against Malzahn’s squad.

LSU QB Danny Etling hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire with his passing so far this year, so that will only complicate things for LSU’s offense if it has to play catch-up.

Plus, scoring early and maintaining a lead will help keep the raucous LSU crowd from making a huge impact on the game.

Likewise, if LSU gets off to an early lead, RBs Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams, if they’re healthy, are also great at controlling the time of possession.

Therefore, if either team goes ahead by two touchdowns at any point, it may be game over.

2. Make Etling throw 25 or more times

This goes hand-in-hand with the first point, as LSU will have to throw more if it is trailing, but this year, there has been a magic number for opponents.

When Etling has thrown 20 or fewer passes, LSU is 4-0. When he has 25 or more pass attempts, his team is 0-2.

Troy and Mississippi State — the two teams LSU has lost to — aren’t as good defensively as Auburn, so if Kevin Steele’s defense can make Etling put the ball in the air 25 times, things could get ugly once again for LSU in Baton Rouge.

Stidham has completed 71.2 percent of his passes, while Etling has only connected on 60.2 percent of his, so that will be a huge advantage for Auburn.

3. Don’t let Arden Key get hot

Star LSU OLB/DE Arden Key only has half a sack and 10 total tackles through four games this season as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

However, he’s still a beast of a pass rusher and could go off at any time (just ask 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, who met Key face-to-face twice in last year’s Citrus Bowl).

Though Auburn’s offensive line has played much better since allowing an unacceptable 11 sacks against Clemson, it also hasn’t faced quite the same level of competition.

LSU’s defensive line — especially if Key is fully healthy — will be Auburn’s toughest test since that Week 2 road loss to the defending national champions.

Keeping Stidham upright will be very important in the loud Death Valley environment, as the offensive line’s confidence will be crucial on Saturday afternoon.