Lane Kiffin has never met a spotlight he didn't like. This week, he has LSU coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium, hoping to play spoiler after Auburn's upset win over Georgia last weekend.
The bigger storyline isn't what Kiffin said about his hopes on Monday, but rather the linebacker playing like an All-American without the explosive headlines off the field: Elijah Melendez.
Without arguably their best player, Xavier Atkins, who was suspended for Georgia, Melendez took over. He led Auburn with nine tackles, a sack, and an interception. That stat line had SI honoring him as Auburn's defensive MVP.
Even before Georgia, Melendez was producing at an All-American level right alongside Atkins.
But Monday didn't just have Lane Kiffin's comments; it also came with the dismissal of Atkins from the team. Head coach Alex Golesh hasn't said why, and both sides took the high road when parting ways.
Even with Melendez playing at this level, an Atkins revenge game would have owned the headlines this week. But now that is gone, and Melendez is here to stay.
Why Elijah Melendez is Auburn's biggest defensive weapon against LSU
The simple answer is his ability to seemingly be everywhere defensively. He has always been around the ball this season, and sometimes just being at the right spot at the right time just works out. Kind of like when Carlos Rogers used to do it way back in the day.
Golesh praised Melendez for being everywhere on defense after the Georgia game. Earlier this week, he praised him again, saying, "You obviously see what Elijah continues to do, like pretty special, like beyond special."
That ability to be everywhere affects LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has already thrown the most interceptions in the SEC, with eight. Sam has also struggled with good linebacker play as of late.
Kentucky was able to have success with their two stellar linebackers, Tavion Wallace and Elijah Barnes, who were both crucial in taking away the middle of the field in their win. Ole Miss's Suntarine Perkins had a ton of success taking away Leavitt's favorite tight end seam routes. Then he punished him for holding on to the ball too long with a sack in the Rebels' big revenge win over LSU. Not to forget, Sam has thrown an interception in almost every game he has played this season, including the crucial game-ending INT to Ole Miss.
Elijah can do all of that and probably more. Just look at last Saturday.
Then some LSU fan is going to say, "Yeah but Sam just had a no-turnover game."
It was a Mississippi State team with no Kamario Taylor, who knew they had no hope with Billy Puckett. It shouldn't even count, even though it does.
That should be the sign that confirms Leavitt has a problem with good off-the-ball linebackers, and Melendez and fellow linebacker Bryce Deas can do everything those other ones can do. That is what makes this linebacker group so good.
Defensive coordinator Dj Durkin probably has some notes tucked away from his tenure at Oxford, where he served as Kiffin's DC for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. That should make the chess game interesting, as Durkin called defensive plays for Kiffin back then. But if anyone were to have a revenge game today, it would be Durkin, who probably still has the receipts from his two years at Texas A&M, where they lost both times to Kiffin's Rebels.
Auburn's roster is very different than Texas A&M's, and players like Rayshawn Pleasant and Melendez spearhead that point. This time, Durkin should have the advantage, and Melendez is his queen piece on today's Saturday morning football chessboard.
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