Remembering the 16 Best Games in the LSU vs. Auburn Rivalry

#11. LSU 19, Auburn 15; September 21, 1996, in Auburn.
"The Night the Barn Burned" or "The Fire Game" or "The Reverse Deuce Game"
There are a lot of interesting side notes to this game. LSU had opened the season with an electrifying performance by Kevin Faulk to beat Houston after being down by 20 points in the 4th quarter. It was my first football game as an LSU student, and I remember ... [OMITTED]. The after-game party at Rene Sadlier's place on East Boyd was great. What wasn't great was waking up on his porch swing the next morning in 90 degree heat. Anyway, ...

The game itself was a classic, with the huge fire, the reverse deuce, and Terry Bowden walking the sidelines. I'll let Dandy Don tell the rest: "LSU journeyed to the Plains of Auburn for the second game of 1996. The game was an exciting one. In the first half, fans noticed a fire, which blazed close to the stadium as the Old Field House burned down due to a careless tailgater who did check to see if his ashes were out when he dumped his pit. LSU lead at the half and things looked good as the Tigers returned an interception for a toucdown to put them up 17-9 in the final quarter but the War Eagles drove down the field and scored late in the game to pull within two. However on the 2 point conversion, LSU intercepted and returned the 2 point try to put the Tigers up 19-15. The exceitement wasn't over as Auburn recovered an onside kick. Denard Walker ended Auburn's hopes with an interception. This was a big win for the Tigers." Indeed

[b]#10. LSU 27, Auburn 14; December 1, 2001, in Baton Rouge
"Revenge for the Cigar Game"
This game is strangely overrated in my opinion. Yes, it was exciting to watch Josh Reed, but his shining moments were at Alabama and at the Sugar Bowl. Yes, it was for the right to go to the SEC Championship Game, but LSU still only had a 7-3 record at the time--not exactly the stuff from which legends are made. In any case, Dandy Don describes the game as follows: "This was one of the most anticipated matchup in years in Death Valley. Not since 1973 when LSU and Alabama faced off with 9-0 records were two teams playing for a championship in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers lost that one 21-7 on Thanksgiving night. Tonight would be different. Auburn foolishly started the game with a 15 yard penalty for stomping the eye of the Tiger in pregame warm-ups. The officials assessed the War Eagles 15 yards for the infraction and LSU opened the game with a picture perfect onside kick. The Tigers scored quickly to go up 7-0, but Auburn completed a 72 yard pass to draw even. Just before the half Rohan Davey hit Josh Reed for a touchdown and Domanick Davis added another to put the Tigers up 21-7. LSU would dominate the second half but only manage two field goals. Auburn scored a late touchdown to close the gap, but the LSU Tigers took the kickoff and ran out the clock as fans deleriously stormed the field. On this night, Tommy Tuberville's crew would not be smoking cigars on the field as they did two years earlier. NOW IT WAS OFF TO ATLANTA."

#9. Auburn 7, LSU 0; November 1, 1913, in Mobile
LSU came into this game having beat its first four opponents by a margin of 141-8, including a 50-0 whalloping of Baylor the week before. LSU's loss in Mobile would be its only loss of the season, and Auburn would finish with an 8-0 conference record and its first undisputed SIAA title. In addition, although Auburn only officially claims one national championship (in 1957), the 1913 championship is the first of 4 others claimed in its media guide, the others being in 1983, 1993, and 2004. Its 1914 and 1958 teams were also undefeated, although both had a tie. It was a close game and LSU could have possibly won if it had its full squad. I refer once again to the Book of Finney: "Despite Dutton's all-Southern honors and Dupont's 108 points, it was a 'near-miss' year for the Tigers who finished with a 6-1-1 record. The defeat was another 7-0 heartbreaker at the hands of the Southern champion Auburn. LSU not only missed several regulars in the game at Mobile, but the Plainsmen made their touchdown after a penalty gave them a first down on the 5-yard line."

#8. Auburn 30, LSU 26; September 17, 1994, in Auburn
"The Interception Game"
Again, it's only fair to give the other side its due. As evidenced by the 1972 Iron Bowl, sometimes Auburn just gets lucky. This is about the most infamous game ever played in college football. On one website describing the best comebacks in college football history, it's described as follows: "Perhaps not the best game, but certainly one of the most most amazing comebacks I've ever witnessed would be 1994 Auburn vs. LSU game. With just over 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter, LSU lead 23 - 9. Then, Auburn came up with 3 fourth quarter interception returns for touchdowns and some how won the game AU 30 - LSU 26. The Auburn offense was unable to score a single touchdown while the defense scored 4. In fact, The Auburn offense had a mere 18 yards total offense in the entire second half and just over 150 for the game. But, the defense stepped up and forced 8 turnovers to save the game and the then 14 game winning streak." Jamie Howard was seriously rattled by the loss. Who wouldn't be after throwing 5 interceptions and having 4 of them returned for touchdowns in a 30-26 loss.

Auburn's winning streak continued until its loss to Alabama, in what was probably the greatest Iron Bowl I've ever watched. Both teams were undefeated entering the last game of the season. I remember vividly seeing the game on television at my high school girlfriend's house ... [PERSONAL INFORMATION OMITTED.]

#7. LSU 10, Auburn 2; October 31, 1908, in Auburn
"The Cane Game"
Any game where the punter gets beaten over the head with a cane has got to rank highly on the list. LSU only gave up 11 points in 10 games in this year, going 10-0 and claiming its first national title. The game in Auburn was the closest game by far, with the next closest being a 22-0 romp over Louisiana Tech in Ruston. They were so good that Ty Cobb came to see one of their games in New Orleans. I'll leave the rest to the Book of Finney:

"In Auburn it stayed, however, and when Wingard's Tigers left by train for the loveliest village of the plain so did a delegation of eight hundred rooters. 'The game wasn't played on a football field,' recalled Doc Fenton. 'It was more like a sandhill. Fans were crowded all around the field and you had that hemmed-in feeling. A rope was the only thing that held them back.' ...

"Fenton retained a vivid picture of how Auburn got its two points. 'I was kicking from behind my own goal,' he said, 'and an Auburn tackle broke through to block it. The ball was bouncing around so I picked it up and was getting ready to run it out of the end zone when a fan reached over the rope and cracked me over the head with a cane. It knocked me cold.

"It was a rough game all around. Three Auburn players were knocked out and had to be carried off. ..."

#3. LSU 21, Auburn 20; October 25, 1969, in Baton Rouge
From Dandy Don: "LSU entered a rare afternoon game in Tiger Stadium against the War Eagles and future Heisman Trophy winner, Pat Sullivan. On the game's first play Mike Hillman pitched to Jimmy Gilbert who threw to a wide open Andy Hamilton to complete a 62 yard touchdown pass. Auburn would come back and score on the next drive and take a 14-7 lead, but LSU would score right before the half to tie up the game and they took lead 21-14 in the 3rd quarter, but the Plainsmen were not through as Pat Sullivan lead them back with a score early in the 4th quarter, but Bill Thomason would block the PAT attempt to make the score 21-20. Auburn would threaten later, but the LSU defense held on for an exciting win. LSU would lose a heartbreaker the followning week to Archie Manning and the Ole Miss Rebels in Jackson 26-23. It would be the only loss in a stellar 9-1-0 campaign. This would arguably be Coach Charley McClendon's best team as they finished ranked in the Top Ten."

So this is what got the Ole Miss rivalry so heated again, that damn Archie Manning ruined LSU's shot at another national title, and they probably would have won it too. With a 9-1 record and the ever-so-rare home victory over Bear Bryant that year, LSU had its worse bowl experience in its history ... it was shut out by Notre Dame. The Cotton Bowl had invited #1 Texas and LSU had declined other bowl games on the expectation that they would also be invited to Dallas. Unfortunately, Notre Dame, which had a policy dating back to 1925 of not playing postseason games, unexpectedly decided to start attending bowl games that year. The result of the 1970 Cotton Bowl was #1 Texas 21, #9 ND 17.

#2. LSU 17, Auburn 9; October 24, 1970, in Auburn
Once again, I go with the theory if the game the year before was great, the follow-up game in the rivalry is typically even better. I don't know too much about the game itself other than what Dandy Don writes below, but I do know a little about the team. The great Tommy Casanova, the future Pro-Bowl Cincinnati Bengal who would play in the NFL until he finished medical school, and also LSU's only 3-time All-American (you couldn't play as a freshman back then), anchored what was probably LSU's greatest ever defense at safety, while All-American Mike Anderson played linebacker. Ronnie Estay, who would made All-American at defensive tackle the next year, was a menace to opposing teams up front. (Future two-time All-American linebacker Warren Capone and future Chicago Bears safety Norman F. Hodgins, Jr., were but freshmen at the time.) After a great 9-1 season in 1969, the LSU team may have actually underachieved in 1970, losing to Texas A&M 20-18 opening week, losing to Notre Dame 3-0 in South Bend (in what would become a famous road trip story in my family), and finally losing 17-12 in the Orange Bowl to the AP National Champion Nebraska Cornhuskers.

What can you say? The defense was great, allowing only 113 points in 12 games (the 20 points by A&M were the highest scored all season against it), but the offense was mediocre. Still, it was good enough to win LSU's first SEC championship since 1961, beating Bear Bryant for the second consecutive time with a 14-9 win in Birmingham the week after the Auburn game. The final regular season game at home against Archie Manning's Rebels may have been one of the 3 greatest nights game in Tiger Stadium history, no matter what lsusports.net might tell you. Anytime you can say "Archie Who?", beat him 61-17, and have the game stop because the crowd was throwing oranges onto the field, that's a great game. But I digress ...

I'll let Dandy Don say the rest: "Auburn was on fire with a 6-0 record and #6 national ranking. Pat Sullivan, Terry Beasley, Mickey Zofko and company were the talk of the SEC. They had a 36-22 win over Defending SEC Champion, Tennessee to their credit and were a prohibitive favorite over LSU as the two Tiger teams went at it on the Plains of Auburn for the first time in many years. LSU was a respectable 4-1 going into the game. They had recovered from a shocking 20-18 last second loss to Texas A & M earlier in the year and played inspired ball that day. The LSU Tigers caught a break early by recovering an Auburn fumble deep in War Eagle Territory. Buddy Lee found Andy Hamilton for the game's first score, but the Plainsmen came back with two field goals to make it 7-6 LSU. The Bayou Bengals scored right before the half and added a two point conversion to take a 15-6 lead into the locker room. Auburn added a field goal, but Ronnie Esthay for a safety and the LSU defense stopped Auburn with a picture perfect tackle on 4th down as Mike Anderson hit Wallace Clark and stood him up at the 2 yard line. Coach Mac would say later that only a perfect tackle by Anderson saved the day for the LSU Tigers."

#1. LSU 7, Auburn 6; October 8, 1988, in Baton Rouge
"The Earthquake Game"
Need I say more? LSU was coming off a great 10-1-1 campaign the year before where Ronnie Lewis's field goal attempt famously hit the bottom crossbar on what would eventually be a 13-13 tie to Ohio State. The only other blemish the 1987 season had been the obligatory loss to the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge that year. In 1988, however, LSU lost consecutive heartbreakers on the road to Ohio State and Florida, and returned to Baton Rouge with its hopes dashed. Auburn, however, was riding high at #4 in the nation with what was probably Pat Dye's best defense. In the last 2 seasons the Plainsmen had lost only 3 games, and they had not lost an SEC game since 1986.

I remember that the defense was indeed suffocating. On the other side of the ball, however, LSU's defense, the same unit that was mauled by the Buckeyes, somehow held against the Auburn Tigers. The Plainsmen only scored a couple of field goals. When LSU got the ball back deep in their own territory with only enough time for one last decent possession, few people thought they had any chance of pulling out a win. Tommy Hodson would prove them wrong. The 1988 preseason was the only time I can remember where LSU started a media campaign for the Heisman Trophy. There were posters everywhere that declared "Heisman Hodson." As it turns out, he had a really bad year, but for one drive, he lived up to the hype.

The tension in Tiger Stadium slowly reached a boiling point that it has never equaled in its 82 years of existence. After Tony Moss caught a quick pass, it was three more passes, and three incompletions. And finally, there was the release. On fourth and long, Eddie Fuller caught a pass from Hodson in the back of the east side of the north endzone. I was in perfect position to see the play, as Hodson rolled right around the 20-yard line and I was in the 14th row looking out at the 15-yard line. The stadium erupted for ... a ... long ... time. Browndyke, LSU's best field goal kicker ever, nailed the PAT.

Nice list, but I don't think anyone on here remembers those first 3 or 4.

Hey, wait a minute, I just remembered--I'm Doc Fenton, and I'm still alive, right?

2004- Auburn converts on 4th and long to Courtney Taylor who next converts on the winning pass.

AU-10
LSu-9

WDE!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Doc!!

Good point. And neither team even won the SEC West that year.

The 1935 game was my dad's first in Tiger Stadium. He and his twin brother were going to Beuregard Elemtary School. LSU brough thousands of youngsters to the game.