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AUBURN, Ala. -- The roar sounded across Jordan-Hare Stadium for a moment that had nothing, and at the same time everything, to do with No. 5 Auburn.
Moments after Daniel Carlson hit a 46-yard field goal to give the Tigers the lead on LSU, the scoreboard cut in for the final seconds of No. 11 Ole Miss' upset of third-ranked Alabama. The orange-clad faithful cheered loudly and the players on the sideline looked on as the field nearly 300 miles away flooded with fans.
On a day that was poised to create separation in the SEC West behind three massive matchups, Auburn did its part, overwhelming No. 15 LSU 41-7 here Saturday night.
While the state of Mississippi owned the day -- hours before the Rebels' 23-17 come-from-behind victory, No. 12 Mississippi State had romped No. 6 Texas A&M 48-31, a score that didn't do the domination justice -- the Tigers (those of The Plains variety) served notice.
The division still goes through them.
"It just felt different, everything felt different: our players, our coaches, myself" said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. "It was a big game."
The defending SEC champions wasted little time jumping over an LSU defense that came in third in the conference and 12th nationally, allowing 272.2 yards per game.
Auburn (5-0, 2-0 in SEC) piled up 247 in the first quarter, the most it had ever had in 15 minutes under Malzahn, as Nick Marshal hit Sammie Coates for a 56-yard touchdown and ran in another from seven yards out.
By halftime, the hurry-up, no-huddle offense had produced 31 points on LSU (4-2, 1-1), more than any Les Miles defense had allowed through two quarters in his 10 years. In all, Auburn totaled 566 yards in a balanced attack that had 298 yards on the ground and 268 through the air.
"We wanted to come out and play better and coach Malzahn and (offensive coordinator Rhett) Lashlee having a week to prepare, and seeing how teams are trying to play us -- by loading the box -- we found ways around that, and it showed tonight," said running back Cameron Artis-Payne, who ran for 126 yards on 24 carries.
Marshall threw two TDs and ran for two others, making him the first Auburn player to account for that many scores since Cam Newton in 2010. He finished with 207 yards passing and 119 on the ground, giving Marshall the second 200/100 game of his career, the first coming against Texas A&M last season.
This was the QB at his most efficient and consistent at the helm of Malzahn's offense.
Marshall's 63.6 completion percentage on 14 of 22 passing Saturday was a season high, and has been part of an upward trend. In his first full game of the season against San Jose State, Marshall was at 52.6, then increased to 54.8 at Kansas State and had a 58.8 rate in his previous game vs. Louisiana Tech.
It certainly helped matters that preseason All-SEC wide receiver Sammie Coates is finally healthy, hauling in three receptions for 123 yards, but it's clear that Marshall is playing with more patience.
He put that approach on display in the second quarter with Auburn facing second-and-15 at its own 14-yard line.
LSU defensive end Jermauria Rasco blew past Artis-Payne and came bearing down on Marshall near the 2-yard line. The QB eluded him and ran toward the right sideline. Drawing two defenders, Marshall had a running lane, but instead threw into the middle of the field to Coates, who turned it into a 29-yard gain.
"Nick played like one of the better quarterbacks in the entire country," Malzahn said.
As suffocating as the defense was, allowing just 228 yards and holding opponents to 17 or less in each of the past four games and not allowing LSU to convert one of its 13 third-down conversions, it's the growth of Marshall that may be the key to Auburn's hopes of a West repeat.
Next weekend they'll head to Starkville to face Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs. Then it's South Carolina, the No. 11 Rebels, sixth-ranked Texas A&M and a trip to No. 13 Georgia. Oh, and after the Tigers get a chance to come up for air Nov. 22 against Samford, they'll head to Tuscaloosa to face the Crimson Tide.
It's a daunting stretch featuring the conference's top Heisman Trophy threats in Prescott, Georgia's Todd Gurley, the Aggies' Kenny Hill and the Crimson Tide's Amari Cooper.
"Our whole deal is the end of the season," said Malzahn. "That's the first game of the grind and it will all sort out in the end."
Which is the irony in Auburn fans cheering in a moment of schadenfreude-fueled bliss, because while there was joy in the Crimson Tide falling, it represents just how strong this division has become.
Mississippi State, which came into the season 1-16 against Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M has now beaten two of them, with a chance at beating the Malzahn's Tigers next weekend. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is 5-0 for the first time since 1962 and snapped a 10-game skid against the Tide. Add in Arkansas (3-2), winless in the conference a year ago, taking the Aggies to overtime last weekend, and it's no cliche to say every week is a grind in the West.
"It's got a bunch of big-time teams," said Malzahn. "It's the best division in college football, and I think that's pretty clear."
The division came into Saturday with an overall record of 28-3 and whichever team survives the gauntlet should be well-positioned to impress the selection committee and earn a place in the first playoff, regardless of what happens in the SEC title game.
Good luck trying to sort out who that's going to be.
With No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 6 Texas A&M all losing in Week 6, it's likely Auburn will rise to No. 2 behind top-ranked Florida State, while the Mississippi schools should find their way into the top 10.
But on a day of upsets, for Auburn it was about what didn't happen, even if their fans found joy in the upheaval.
There was no taking a step back, not adding to the chaos. The West's reigning champ guaranteed they will, at the least, have a say in who is going to make it to Atlanta.
