Auburn fans had to love what they saw from the Tigers in Saturday night’s 41-7 beatdown of rival LSU.

Here are five takeaways from the Auburn’s rout of the Tigers:

  • Defense is legit: Ellis Johnson’s unit allowed just 280 total yards to LSU, who could never really get anything going. Brandon Harris was replaced midway through the second half by Anthony Jennings. Auburn was able to pressure the quarterback all night and the defense shut down some talented wideouts in Travin Dural and Malachi Dupri. In Gus Malzahn’s 16-game tenure as head coach prior to Saturday night’s contest, the defense had been considered the liability for Auburn, but it showed on Saturday night that it now is a strength.
  • Offense clicked: The offense hasn’t looked stellar for the better part of the Tigers’ first four games in 2014. However, it came alive from the opening series on Saturday night. The run game was established quickly and Nick Marshall had a really nice night throwing the football. Auburn’s 41 points are the most it has ever scored on LSU.
  • Nick Marshall looked like top-5 QB: Malzahn said in his postgame comments that his quarterback played like he was one of the better signal callers in the country, and I’d have to agree. Marshall amassed 326-purpose yards of offense and four total touchdowns. Auburn won its 15th straight game when its quarterback rushes for more than 100 yards, but Marshall stole the show with his arm. He made some really nice reads and throws deep to Sammie Coates and Duke Williams.
  • Gus Malzahn proved he’s a top-3 coach: Unlike other media members, I never really put a whole lot of thought into whether or not Auburn’s 2013 campaign was a fluke. However, I did wonder whether or not Malzahn’s system was capable of sustained success and whether or not he could continue on his rapid trajectory as such a young head coach. He answered any questions I might’ve had during Auburn’s best game in his tenure on the Plains. The Tigers had yet to play well this season and without a bye week, Malzahn prepared his team and got them to perform at its best on a national stage in primetime.
  • Is Auburn the nation’s best team?: For the first time since 1990, four of the top six teams lost on the same day. Florida State beat a bad Wake Forest team and has not really impressed outside of its season-opening win against Oklahoma State. Did Auburn show its the best team in college football on Saturday night? Perhaps. Whether the way the Tigers played in all three phases, you’d be hard-pressed convincing me that any other team could beat them, but can they replicate that type of play week in and week out?