Auburn–LSU football rivalry

Players near the goal line in 1902 LSU vs. Auburn game at State Field

LSU beat Auburn in a hard-fought game 5–0. Captain Henry Landry scored the game's only touchdown.[4] "Nearly every business house in Baton Rouge closed at noon and everybody went to the game".[5] The trip to Louisiana made some Auburn players sick.[6]

In 1908, both teams were undefeated and competing for the top spot in the SIAA. LSU beat Auburn 10–2, but both teams may claim SIAA championships, for LSU was charged with professionalism and for some stripped of the title. It was the only game LSU did not win by more than 20 points. “We won every game that fall except LSU,” Auburn star Walker Reynolds told Clyde Bolton in 1973. “But LSU had a pro team.”

The first touchdown came from LSU's John Seip. Later, Auburn's T. C. Locke blocked a punt, recovered by LSU quarterback and Hall of Famer Doc Fenton in the endzone for an Auburn safety. According to one source, Fenton was knocked unconscious by a spectator's cane as he tried to get out of the end zone.[7] LSU made the second score using conventional football.

In 1988, #4 Auburn traveled to Tiger Stadium with national title aspirations. Auburn (4-0) entered the game outscoring its opponents 161–44, but were held to just two field goals. Auburn's outstanding defense kept LSU scoreless through 58 minutes. However, with 1:47 left, QB Tommy Hodson found RB Eddie Fuller open on a crossing pattern for a touchdown on fourth and goal. Ironically, it was the same play Fuller had caught on 1st and goal, only to step out of the back of the end zone. The crowd eruption was so intense that it registered as an earthquake on the seismograph located in LSU’s Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, though much of the lore surrounding the game is largely apocryphal.[8] Both Hodson and Fuller later said it was the most physical game of their college careers.[9] College Football News ranks this game as the 17th best finish in the history of college football.[10] Auburn would have likely played Notre Dame for the National Championship had they beaten LSU, as Auburn finished the season with six consecutive wins, giving up only 31 points in the process. Auburn and LSU shared the SEC crown though Auburn went to the Sugar Bowl.

Auburn was on a 14-game winning streak when LSU traveled to Auburn in 1994, but it was LSU who led 23–9 entering the fourth quarter. LSU quarterback Jamie Howard threw five fourth quarter interceptions - three were returned for touchdowns - as Auburn extended their winning streak to 15 games with a 30–26 win. Auburn made one first down in the second half, yet scored 27 points in the comeback. Multiple players were hospitalized for dehydration after the game.[11] After the loss Jamie Howard received multiple threats.

LSU defeated Auburn 19–15 in 1996 while the old Auburn Sports Arena, affectionately called "the Barn", burned to the ground across the street from Jordan–Hare Stadium.[12] After scoring a touchdown, Auburn trailed 17–15 and attempted the two-point conversion. LSU intercepted the pass and returned it for a 19–15 win. The cause of the fire was officially undetermined,[13] though according to investigators the most probable cause was a grill placed too close to the building by tailgaters, possibly to take cover from heavy rainfall.[13] The fire was shown during ESPN's national broadcast,[14] flames being seen as high as the Jordan-Hare east upper-deck. The game was never delayed, and the Auburn public address announcer continually advised fans: "The flames [were] outside the stadium." Because of the fire and the thrilling finish, the game became known as the "Barn Burner" or "The Night The Barn Burned".

On coach Tommy Tuberville's birthday, Auburn blew out LSU 41–7 during a rare day game in Baton Rouge. In celebration, Auburn players and coaches smoked cigars on the field at Tiger Stadium, much to the chagrin of LSU players and fans. The intensity of the rivalry grew with this game, and it was used as motivation in 2001 when LSU beat Auburn 27–14 on the way to their first SEC title since splitting it in 1988. Coach Gerry DiNardo was fired before the season ended.[15]