After falling to Troy inside Tiger Stadium, LSU had a decision to make: Pack it in for the 2017 season or rebound and rally. The Bayou Bengals chose the latter. One week after topping Florida by a single point inside The Swamp, LSU took back Death Valley by upsetting No. 10 Auburn 27-23 at home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

LSU outscored Auburn 27-3 after falling behind 20-0 early in the first half. The defense stifled the visitors, while offensive coordinator Matt Canada's unit made its greatest strides since he took over that side of the ball in Baton Rouge.

Here's what you need to know about the thriller in Death Valley.

1. LSU's defense is back: It was gone for the first month of the season, but the last two weeks have proven that the LSU defense is back and playing at a level that had become synonymous with the program. Aside from one roughing the passer penalty against Arden Key in the second half, this defense adjusted to slow down Auburn's rushing attack led by Kerryon Johnson, forced Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham to move on a consistent basis and, in big time situations in the second half, timed out the snap count and disrupted plays before they could develop.

The leader of this group is linebacker Devin White. He got in Stidham's face on a consistent basis, created problems along Auburn's offensive line -- which had players shuffling throughout the game -- and was the most valuable player on a Tiger defense that suddenly has an identity.

2. The same play-calling bug that bit Auburn at Clemson bit it again: LSU showed the fight an tenacity of a contender Saturday, but Auburn's play calling contributed to it. Stidham was either handing off or throwing deep. There was no in-between. No slants. No drags. No short curls. Nothing. Guess what happens in those scenarios? Linebackers -- like White -- tee off on the quarterback when he drops back. The creative play-calling that Auburn had shown since that Clemson loss in Week 2 disappeared in the thick Baton Rouge heat.

That's on coach Gus Malzahn. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey's move to the booth after Week 2 seemed to be the cure to what ailed Auburn and created a nice blend of the old Malzahn offense with a new efficient passing game. It will be asked who called plays Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge and, no matter Malzahn's answer, this was a Malzahn game. That's not a good thing, and it will bring pressure back on his shoulders after it was lifted over the last four weeks.

3. Danny Etling played the best game of his career: No, the stats don't really show it. Etling completed 13 of his 24 passes for 206 yards and one touchdown. But that touchdown was a dime in the back corner of the end zone to Russell Gage, who made a diving catch for the ages to haul it in. What's more, Etling threw off his back foot with pressure coming in his face.

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That was when it became obvious that this was a different Etling. With 32 seconds to go in the second quarter to cut the lead to 23-14 in what was once a 20-0 Auburn lead, it was clear that Etling and his purple-and-gold Tigers had the same kind of fight they had last week in The Swamp when they topped Florida.

When Auburn put LSU in a hole, Etling dug out thanks to the touchdown to Gage, big passes to D.J. Chark and several conversions in tight windows against an Auburn defense that, at the time, was flying around. He managed the game well, took what Auburn gave him and avenged a heart-breaking loss from a year ago when he tossed what would have been the game-winning touchdown had the snap gotten off a split-second sooner.

4. The law firm of Chark and Gage: LSU has always had playmakers outside, but they've largely gone under-utilized as of late. Not anymore. Chark had five catches for 150 yards and a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to bring his Tigers within two. Gage had 71 yards rushing, 28 receiving yards and the one touchdown to solidify himself as one of the top all-purpose players in college football.

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This is LSU's new identity, and it's clear that it's working. It worked on the road against Florida last week and Saturday against a very good Auburn defense when the margin for error was incredibly slim. This is why Matt Canada was hired by Ed Orgeron, and it's going to be tough to stop from here on out.

5. LSU is a contender-ish: At 2-1 in conference, with the only loss coming to Mississippi State, why not LSU? No, seriously, why not? The Tigers got off the mat to fight for their new coach on consecutive weeks, have developed a defense that resembles those Tiger defenses of old and now have an offensive identity. Could they challenge Alabama? It's a long-shot, but it's not a no-shot. Suddenly, the old rivalry between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide seems relevant in the chase for the SEC West race -- not something that seemed possible a month ago.

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