AUBURN, Ala. _ Louisiana State quarterback Danny Etling orchestrated what could have been a magical 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive to send an already reeling Auburn to a seventh straight home lose.
Etling rolled out to his right on the final snap of the game with Carl Lawson barreling down on him. The junior somehow found D.J. Clark in the back corner of the end zone with no time on the clock.
For a moment, the entire LSU bench piled on Clark while a stunned crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium silently watched.
The game was over. Except it wasn't.
Officials reviewed the play and found LSU snapped the ball with no time left on the clock, sending Auburn players racing to the student section with a 18-13 win in hand.
Auburn gave its SEC West rival the ball back with 2:56 to go in the game following Daniel Carlson's sixth field goal.
Etling moved the ball across midfield where LSU came up empty on two short passes to Leonard Fournette setting up a third and 8.
Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis broke up the second attempt, shaking Fournette up in the process. Fournette left the field under his own power, but wasn't on the field for the important third and long.
Etling dropped back to throw, but had one side of the field all to himself. The quarterback immediately ran toward his own sideline, getting the first down and more.
A 9-yard throw to Travin Dural gave LSU a short yardage situation inside the red zone, which they converted on slant.
Carl Lawson looked like he might have put the game away with his second sack of the game for a 6-yard loss on second down, but LSU managed to get two more shots at the end zone and the unbelievable final-second exchange.
It was Auburn's punchless offense that made the game a nail-biter.
LSU scored a touchdown with 2:47 to go in the first quarter when Etling found Foster Moreau on a short 3-yard pass, but it was the only time either team found the end zone.
The team's spent much of the game moving the ball back and forth across midfield with little payoff.
Auburn ended up going 4 of 5 in the red zone with all four trips ending with Carlson trotting out to the middle of the field.
Last year's finalist for the Lou Groza proved he is once again one of the most reliable kickers in college football, with each one of his kicks perfectly splitting the uprights.
Coach Gus Malzahn likes to call Carlson a "big weapon" for Auburn.
He might be the team's only weapon.
The kicker connected from 51, 31 and 37 yards, and added three more from 29 yards out, extending his perfect start to the season to 15 kicks without a miss.
Auburn's defense ensured Carlson's field goals were enough by grounding LSU's offensive attack and limiting Fournette to a handful of big plays.
