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Auburn had the rare opportunity to face two of — if not the two best pair of running back duos in the entire country this past year.
Gus Malzahn’s team played LSU early in the season. The Tigers feature all-everything RB Leonard Fournette and his immensely talented teammate Derrius Guice.
On Monday, Auburn squared off against Oklahoma’s dynamic pairing of Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. Perine became OU’s all-time leading rusher in the Sugar Bowl victory, and Mixon is considered an elite player nationally.
Auburn defensive back Tray Matthews was asked about which tandem has the upper hand. According to 247Sports, he had this to say:
“[Oklahoma] ran pretty well, too. I was surprised at that because we’re pretty stout (against) the run, but they found some gaps and there were some holes that were real big. We’ve just got to fit the run better.”
When LSU was brought up, it was clear Matthews had a preference:
“Even though we stopped them, those two are monsters: Fournette and Guice.”
Mixon and Perine combined for 177 yards rushing and three touchdowns. LSU’s duo of Fournette and Guice accrued 163 yards and zero scores during the Sept. 24 game.
