For an LSU fan, I couldn’t think of a bigger disappointment than playing Auburn on the road in the past decade and a half. Of course, Auburn fans may hold the same bit of dread for LSU.
Since about 1994, this series has been peppered with exciting finishes and is probably underrated by the national media partially because it’s usually played earlier in the year.
But both sets of Tigers have had their share of disappointment in the series. Here’s a look back.
1994
This was my freshman year at LSU. That year, LSU traveled to the Plains and were heartbroken by a 31-26 loss in which Tigers quarterback Jamie Howard threw six interceptions.
That’s not a typo. Three of them went for TD’s, including two the fourth quarter, to catapult Auburn to a comeback victory. Unranked LSU was ready to stun the No.11 War Eagles, but it was not to be.
1995
The next year, LSU had a chance to return the favor in Baton Rouge, and they did.
In Gerry Dinardo’s first season as coach, unranked LSU hosted No. 5 Auburn in Death Valley. This year, Coach D appealed the NCAA ruling that said home teams must wear their dark jerseys at home.
LSU went back to their traditional white jerseys in Death Valley. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the interview with Auburn QB Patrick Nix before the match up. When asked about the white jerseys LSU would be donning, he said:
“White jerseys? I’m not afraid of no white jerseys. I’ve never lost as a starter.”
That game was truly one of the loudest games I’ve been to, and the defensive struggle that LSU won wasn’t decided until the last play. Nix looked into the corner of the end zone on the game’s final play, but LSU DB Troy Twillie picked it off and the Tigers won the “Bring Back the Magic” game by a score of 12-7.
1996
I actually made the trip to Auburn in 1996. The “fire” game, dubbed so because a building adjacent to Jordan-Hare Stadium burned during the game, was another back and forth battle in which the purple and gold Tigers actually won on the road.
My friends and I were surrounded by Auburn fans in our seats, and many of them congratulated us after No. 21 LSU’s 19-15 win over the 14th-ranked Auburn Tigers. We had a great weekend of partying and I developed a healthy respect for those “other” Tigers that weekend.
1997
Two things I’ll always remember about the 1997 match up between the 10th- ranked Bayou Bengals and the twelfth ranked Auburn Tigers:
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1) Another epic see-saw battle that started with Auburn up 14-0 only to see LSU tie it at the half 21-21 before losing a heartbreaker by three.
2) A very large LSU student sat weeping uncontrollably with head in hands as we exited the student section after the game. My roommate whispered to me as we passed him “He probably bet his left testicle on this game.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen true sadness like that. I really felt devastated after the game until I saw this guy and thought, “Maybe it wasn’t so bad.”
Actually, this was the game LSU running back Cecil Collins went psycho (on the field this time) for 242 yards. When it was said and done, LSU rushed for 377 yards in the game but still lost 31-28.
LSU signal caller Herb Tyler went 6-21 with two interceptions, and on the flip-side, AU’s Dameyune Craig went for 342 yards with no picks.
We’ll skip ahead a few years:
’98 LSU 31 AU 19 @ Auburn
’99 Auburn 41 LSU 7 @ Baton Rouge
’00 Auburn 34 LSU 17 @ Auburn
2001
In 2001, the battle to go to Atlanta for the SEC championship happened in December (because of 9/11) between No. 25 AU and No. 22 LSU in Baton Rouge. I experienced a first in this game. Tickets were hard to find so I actually sat in the visitor’s section at Tiger Stadium.
At the end of the 27-14 LSU win, I followed many other Tigers fans as they rushed the field to celebrate LSU’s first trip to the SEC Championship in the ATL.
As I walked down the steps, I passed an Auburn fan who said, “Well that’s just sick, y’all need to act like you’ve been there before.”
I responded pretty innocently with “But we haven’t been there before.”
LSU’s last SEC Championship before then was in 1988. I was 12. In 2001, I was 25 so to me, it was a long time coming.
LSU got beat pretty badly the following year (2002) on the Plains 31-7. LSU returned the favor with the same score (31-7) in 2003 at home.
2004
The series got back to dishing out disappointment in 2004. It did so in a 10-9 AU victory in Auburn.
LSU was fifth in the country and Auburn was fourteenth. The game was more or less decided when Auburn tied the score on a touchdown to make it 9-9 late in the game. The ensuing PAT would give Auburn the lead.
AU missed the attempt, but a leaping penalty (which is called about as frequently as traveling on Kobe) was called on LSU. Auburn made the second attempt and won the game 10-9.
2005
In 2005, it was Auburn’s turn to be crushed by disappointment. Auburn’s PK John Vaughn missed five FG attempts on the night and LSU’s PK Kris Jackson made good on his overtime attempt to give LSU a 20-17 OT victory. Auburn’s defense played valiantly in the loss.
2006
2006 saw another defensive struggle on the Plains. There were many controversial calls against LSU. The most devastating was a pass interference call that was overruled to a no-call against Auburn. Many still frames show LSU WR Early Doucet was contacted before the ball got to him and before the ball was batted.
Despite this no call at a pivotal moment, LSU still had a chance to win but simply ran out of time. The game ended 7-3.
2007
Last season after Auburn dominated the first half, LSU slowly crept back into the game. LSU mounted a final drive while trailing by one, 24-23.
It looked like LSU would settle for a 39-yard game-winning field goal attempt in the waning seconds. Instead, Matt Flynn chucked a last second fade route to Demetrius Byrd and the Tiger receiver came down with the ball in the end zone with :01 on the clock.
Byrd saw the way AU DB Jerraud Powers was playing him, so he and QB Matt Flynn thought they could exploit it. The call was seen as a stupid gamble but the only gamble was a possible interception. In fact, if anyone was to blame for a so called “gamble” it would be Flynn for taking so long to get the play off.
Byrd caught the ball with :04 left on the clock and it ticked down to :01. Had the ball been incomplete, LSU would have had time to attempt the field goal. Despite pretty decent coverage it took a perfect throw and great concentration by Byrd to make the game winner much to the traveling War Eagles’ disappointment.
2008?
So why should 2008 be any different? LSU travels to Auburn on September 20, 2008. These two teams play epic battles that become instant classics so you might want to tune in to this one. This series has seen fires, earthquakes, cigars, and the absolute bizarre.
If recent history is any indication, look for one set of Tigers to be devastatingly disappointed on September 21.
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2 months ago
I always enjoy the LSU game. It has become a creature of its own, making for some great college football early in the season. The one game that distinctly sticks out in my mind is the "Burning of the Barn" in 1996. I remember seeing the black smoke pouring from the student section corner, and remember Carl over the PA saying "If you have your car parked near the barn, please move it immediately. You will be admitted back into the stadium." I think that last sentence made people move their cars. And just to make you feel old, I was 10 at the time during the 1996 game.
I also remember 2004 just because classes were canceled from Wednesday to Friday cause of Hurricane Ivan and we still had football that weekend. Best week of school ever!
from 2 months ago
Yeah, the burning of the barn has still been my only auburn trip and it was one of my favorites. we were on the opposite side of the barn so to us, it looks like the opposite corner of the stadium was on fire.
glad you had a great week in '04. i actually didn't want that game to be played that weekend, i thought it was too soon.
2 months ago
As a neutral fan, ive gotta say that the atmosphere surrounding this game was one of my favorties, not just because of the LSU festivities, but because of the odd feeling in the air. I was fortunate enough to have incredible seats at the 2007 bout, and though the game and the crowd was something special the atmosphere prior to kick off was sureal. It wasnt the typical rowdy LSU crwod i was used to coming to Athens or Atlanta, but instead it was a crowd filled with apprehension and nervousness. They collectivley knew the stakes of this game, and they pretty well knew the history of this series. Overall i couldnt have been happier to be a fly on the wall, so to speak, for this matchup and for any college football fan i highly recommend dropping in on the tigers when they do battle.
from 2 months ago
thanks for the comment and thanks for the kind words.
gald you could come to baton rouge and experience gameday.
2 months ago
Good stuff. I understand how the student that you saw crying feels. I was close to tears in both 2005 and 2007.
Can't wait until the game this year. It is looking like it will be a night ESPN game.
2 months ago
That 2001 game is very memorable for me. I was a freshman, and since we were standing on the front row of the student section, we had no choice but to rush the field with the mass of people bearing down us (not that I minded at all). I remember the cop on field level who told us to stop hopping the concrete wall, and we just ignored him. That was first time I rushed the field and only time at Tiger Stadium (the other time was at Kentucky for the Blue Grass Miracle). But you are right about the overall disappointment. Despite some recent close finishes, the series has gotten predictable as the home team always seems to win. Hopefully, that trend can be reversed this year.
from 2 months ago
that was the only other game i rushed the field. i think the field was rushed for the OT victory in Tenn in '00 but i wasn't in the student section.
the other being LSU vs #1 UF in '97 and i was in the student section for that one.
heck, people rushed the field a little after the indy bowl in '95.
i'm glad we're where we are right now and we don't have to do that anymore.
we've been there before now.
2 months ago
I was at the 94 game. you forgot to mention Auburn came into the game with I believe was the nations longest winning streak. we had gone undefeated in 93. So the 2 ints returned for td's in the 4th were even more important.
My father went to LSU and my heart bleeds orange and blue, so these are my two favorite SEC teams. I always look forward to the struggle. Great article!
from 2 months ago
thanks, i had forgotten about AU being on the streak. great point.
2 months ago
I was at the 94 game too...it was one of those surreal moments in life. It's like you're seeing it, but you're not believing your eyes.
My freshman year was in 1988 and I was in the band. We were undefeated and traveled to Red Stick to play LSU. It was great; tailgating, gumbo...wow, what a time. We led 6-0 for virtually all of the game, then LSU scored a TD at the very end of the game...the eruption was like the space shuttle taking off...it has become known as the earthquake game...certainly has turned into one of the best rivalries in the country.
I have a lot of respect for LSU...my wife is from Southwest Louisiana and we used to live in NO before Katrina. Her whole family are LSU fans. I finally got them to pull for AU...until we meet LSU that is.
from 2 months ago
great comments. i think LSU-AU is a rivalry built on mutual respect (and a little bit of dislike).
i was 12 in '88 and not at that game but i remember hearing about it from people that went.
the funny thing was after watching replays of it, it's not that great of a game until the waning minutes. both teams played great D but plenty of mistakes were made.
2 months ago
As an SEC fan, this is definitely one of my favorite games to watch every year.
It is almost always a huge game and almost always means a lot, both in the SEC and nationally.
I remember that game in 1994, as I watched it in my brother's freshman dorm room at UGA. I could not believe my eyes when LSU kept throwing the ball and Auburn kept picking them off.
I think that game pretty much sealed Curly Hallman's fate. I mean, did you think about running the ball, coach?
Also, the 1999 game when Auburn destroyed LSU and then smoked cigars in the stadium took on a life of its own. Is it any coincidence that LSU has not lost to Auburn at home since then? There wasn't much mutual respect after that!
Last year's game may have been the best of them all. What an incredible ending.
Anyway, here's to some more exciting Auburn-LSU games! One of the great "new" rivalries to have come about in the past few years.
from 2 months ago
no doubt, thanks for commenting.
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