Auburn-LSU annual rivalry ends Saturday but won’t be forgotten

Saturday night will close a chapter in one of the best rivalries in the Southeastern Conference.

Auburn and LSU will play for the final time in the foreseeable future.

In 2024, LSU’s SEC opponents have already been determined and those Tigers aren’t one of them. Next season will be the first time since 1991 that Auburn and LSU will not play.

In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, as Alabama struggled mightily, Auburn vs. LSU was the biggest rivalry in the SEC West. Those games produced incredible drama.

Who can forget the 1994 30-26 Auburn win? LSU quarterback Jamie Howard was intercepted five times in the fourth quarter. LSU somehow squandered a 14 point fourth quarter lead.

One year later, LSU, under new head coach Gerry DiNardo, brought back the magic with a win over Auburn in Tiger Stadium.

In 1998, during a 31-19 LSU win, the old Auburn Sports Arena across from Jordan-Hare stadium burned to the ground during the game.

In 2006, a late pass interference flag on Auburn was picked up. Auburn won 7-3.

In 2007, head coach Les Miles spurned a late field goal try. With :01 on the clock, Matt Flynn threw a touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd to beat Auburn, 30-24.

In 2010, Cam Newton’s sprint through the LSU defense started his Heisman train rolling. Auburn won 24-17.

In 2016, Gus Malzahn was supposedly on the hottest of seats, but it turned out to be the final game for Les Miles at LSU. With one second left, the Tigers failed to snap the ball before the clock hit zero. The officials did not blow the play dead, and Danny Etling rolled right and threw a TD pass to DJ Chark.

Then, the stadium roared when the white hat said the following.

“The previous play is under review.”

Replay confirmed yet another LSU clock snafu.

After the game, Miles was in a surprisingly good mood. My guess? He knew he was done. The pressure was officially off when Miles was fired the next day.

In 2018, Joe Burrow’s touchdown pass to Derrick Dillon started a 4^th quarter LSU comeback that led to a game winning Cole Tracy field goal. For my money, that’s when Joe Burrow told his team he was for real. It was special to be there.

Few plays in LSU football history are more special than Tommy Hodson’s game winning touchdown pass to Eddie Fuller in 1988. The Earthquake game, when the seismograph on the LSU campus registered the equivalent of a quake is a game that lives forever.

Eddie Fuller and Tommy Hodson will always be linked.

How special is that?

The Earthquake Game

Hodson to Fuller made the ground shake in 1988 and upset No. 4 Auburn pic.twitter.com/fTRsm5PieC

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 13, 2023

And, in 2004 so will Erin Daniels and an un-named Auburn fan, who were exchanging unpleasantries after Auburn’s 10-9 win. In that game, Auburn drove to tie the game at 9.

Jon Vaughn then missed his first extra point of the season. But wait. LSU’s Ronnie Prude was called for a personal foul, running to jump and block the kick. Vaughn did not miss again.

After the game, my wife called me to tell me about the family’s oldest child getting into a tussle. I couldn’t stop laughing. That’s my girl.

The girl with two LSU degrees, a husband and four children – plus one purple eyeball and one gold – was defending her Tigers.

Now that’s a girl that was raised right.

So, Saturday night, regardless of the outcome, I will miss the folks in eastern Alabama. I love going to their campus. It is a beautiful place with nice people.

So long Auburn, we are going to miss you. Hope to see you again real soon.