Auburn Tigers vs. LSU Tigers Pre-Game Notes

Auburn Football Fans:

War Eagle!  This is the Auburn Tigers vs. the LSU Tigers issue of the AuburnFootball.com Tiger Insider Newsletter.  The game will be played Saturday, September 20, 2008 in Auburn.  The game is the headliner of the day on national television, and will the featured game on ESPN at 6:45pm CST. 

ESPN’s Game Day team will be broadcasting from Auburn (stage set up east on the stadium at the corner of Roosevelt and Duncan Drive) and will air live from 9-11 a.m. CST, as well as cutting in live to Auburn throughout the day. There will also be live and taped segments on Friday, Sept. 19 from 3-4:30 p.m. and SportsCenter segments live at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.  Auburn football fans are encouraged to attend at both days and bring their signs.  For a map of the exact location, please see the printable Game Day map, found on the front page of www.Auburnfootball.com.

The ESPN Game Day crew features ESPN commentators Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard.  Future schedule information, TV listings, and game times can be found at: http://www.auburnfootball.com/2008-auburn-football-schedule.htm .

Several people have asked if Brad Lester will play on Saturday.  Although I haven’t heard an official statement, I believe Brad is doubtful for the game.  He has not had contact in practice yet this week.  I know Brad was in our thoughts and prayers after his neck sprain injury against Mississippi State, and thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as it looked on television.   Brad should be at 100% in a couple of weeks, and we can eagerly anticipate his return at that point.   Ben Tate and Tristan Davis should be able to fill in the void left by Lester’s injury, and we will probably see Mario Fannin getting more touches on the ball.

Chris Todd will remain the starter for his prime time debut against LSU, although we will see Kodi Burns get into the game more often, especially in short yardage situations.  

Quoting Coach Tuberville about the game: 

"We are ready to go, ready for another week to get better, and we definitely need to do that in a lot of areas. In some areas we are looking pretty good and not in others. I thought last week it was pretty ugly in some regards. We are not hitting on all cylinders on offense. I thought one of the main reasons is we didn't handle the crowd noise and the cowbells. We lost our concentration and when you have penalties like we had you are not going to do very well anywhere that you play.

"Defensively we made some plays. I thought our guys played with enthusiasm. They were having fun out there, and it was good to see that because we're going to need that later in the year. Some asked me about winning 3-2 and I said it's better than winning 41-40, because if you are giving up forty points a game you are going to lose quite a few games. But we have to get better and get better in a hurry in all areas.

"Special teams was a disappointment last week. Missing two field goals, which we normally don't do, put the game out of reach in terms of our defense. We didn't piggy back anything. It kind of snowballed in us when things went the other way, but a sign of a good team is when you don't play very well, understanding how you played and how you can get better.

"They have a good football team. They are searching in some areas offensively. At quarterback they are making a few more plays than we are. They have a running back that is very dangerous, a huge offensive line, their receivers are very talented and their defense is the same thing that they always have - speed. Both of us build our defense on speed and being very physical. This is always a very physical game.

"One of the stars on their football team is number eight (Trinidon Holiday), he may be the fastest guy in college football, not just on their football team or this conference, and he is a game breaker. He gives them a special touch in terms of field position and making you do certain things in your kicking game.

"We have a hard game this week. It is a huge game and we get ready for this game year round. It is a game we have been looking forward to since last year, and we understand that we came up a little short. But it will be a hard-fought game between two teams that understand each other, and two teams that have been some of the better ones in this conference for a while."

On the Message Boards

Quite a few LSU fans have found the message boards at  www.auburnfootball.com.  They have provided for some great conversation, as well as a bit of “trash talk”.  Check out the message boards and give us your opinions!

AUBURN – LSU GAME NOTES
From the Auburn University Press Release

AUBURN HEADLINES
* Eleven of the last 18 Auburn-LSU games have been decided by a touchdown or less, including the last four in a row.
* The home team has won the last eight games in a row in the series since an Auburn win in Baton Rouge in 1999.
* Auburn owns the SEC's best record in conference games since 2000 at 48-17, with LSU right behind at 47-17.
* Auburn owns a 3-1 record when hosting ESPN's GameDay, and is 5-3 at any location in GameDay contests.
* Auburn has won nine of its last 12 games against top-10 opponents, including six in a row at home. Auburn has beaten at least one top-10 team in each of the previous seven seasons.
* Auburn is 15-2 in home night games since 2000, including a 4-0 mark against nationally-ranked opponents.
* Auburn leads the nation in opponents' third-down conversion percentage, surrendering just three first downs in 46 attempts (6.5 percent).
* Auburn ranks third nationally in scoring defense (5.0), ninth in rushing defense (53.0) and 10th in total defense (213.7).
* Auburn has not allowed a point in the first half this season.
* Robert Dunn ranks 11th nationally in punt returns (21.4), and his 193 punt return yards are third most in the nation.
* Rodgeriqus Smith needs one reception and 44 receiving yards to move into the top 10 on Auburn's career lists in both categories.
* Thirteen different players have caught passes for Auburn this season, including 11 in the Sept. 6 game against Southern Miss, which was the most in a game by Auburn since 2005.
* Auburn has played 12 true freshmen already this season.
* Auburn has won 17 of its last 22 games decided by seven points or less, and is 29-13 under Tommy Tuberville in games decided by seven or fewer points.

LSU QUICK HITTERS
LSU will be playing its first road game after home victories against Appalachian State (41-13) and North Texas (41-3) ... LSU leads the SEC in rushing offense (241.0) and scoring offense (41.0) ... The Tigers are fifth nationally in rushing defense (48.0) and 10th in the nation in scoring defense (8.0) ... Charles Scott leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally in rushing (131.0) ... Trindon Holliday leads the nation in punt returns (40.8) ... Les Miles has a 51-5 record at LSU in games against nationally-ranked teams ... LSU was picked to finish second in the SEC West behind Auburn in the SEC Preseason Poll conducted by the league's media ... The SEC media members selected OL Herman Johnson, DL Tyson Jackson, LB Darry Beckwith and PK Colt David as first-team Preseason All-SEC picks.

AUBURN-LSU SERIES NOTES
The visiting team won four consecutive games from 1996-99, but the home team has won the last eight meetings from 2000-07 ... Seven of the last 13 games have been decided by a touchdown or less, including the last four in a row ... Dating back to 1973, only five of the 21 meetings have been decided by more than 14 points ... LSU has not rushed for a touchdown against Auburn since 2003 ... In the last three meetings, the winning team has averaged just 16.8 points per game, after the winning team had scored at least 31 points in the six previous games ... The winning team posted shutouts in nine of the first 11 meetings in the series ... Auburn's secondary has picked off 18 passes in AU's last seven wins over LSU, including six in 1994.

AUBURN-LSU CONNECTIONS
* Auburn tight ends coach Steve Ensminger was a quarterback at LSU from 1976-79 and graduated from LSU in 1982. Ensminger was born in Baton Rouge.
* Ensminger was the offensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech during the 1989-91 seasons while LSU special teams coordinator/defensive line assistant Joe Robinson was a graduate assistant (1989) and defensive line coach (1990-91).
* LSU Assistant AD/Football Operations Dr. Sam Nadar was a quarterback at Auburn from 1963-67. Nadar received his undergraduate degree from Auburn in 1967 and his master's from AU in 1969.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS AND STRANGE ENCOUNTERS
Eleven of the last 18 meetings in the Auburn-LSU series since 1988 have been decided by less than a touchdown. And like all good Southern football series, many of those games have earned memorable titles. Examples:

1988: LSU scored with 1:41 remaining to down fourth-ranked Auburn, 7-6. The noise from the Tiger Stadium crowd registered on a campus seismograph, thus earning the contest the title of "Earthquake Game."

1994: Auburn returned three of its five fourth-quarter interceptions for touchdowns to rally from a two-touchdown deficit and win 30-26. Auburn and LSU fans alike still recall the "Interception Game."

1995: Wearing the traditional white jerseys at home for the first time in 13 years, LSU stunned fifth-ranked Auburn, 12-6, when Troy Twillie intercepted Patrick Nix's 11-yard pass into the end zone with no time remaining. The 1997 LSU media guide referred to this game under the heading "Bring Back The Magic."

1996: "The Night The Barn Burned" will long be remembered on the Plains. As the old Auburn Sports Arena burned just outside Jordan-Hare Stadium, LSU defeated Auburn 19-15. After missing three field goals and an extra point, Auburn cut LSU's lead to 17-15 with :38 remaining, but Jon Cooley's two-point pass attempt was picked off by Raion Hill, who returned it the other way for two points.

1997: Dameyune Craig led Auburn on an 80-yard, 10-play drive in the game's final three minutes to deliver a 31-28 upset of 10th-ranked LSU in "The Comeback." Rusty Williams capped the drive on a 1-yard touchdown plunge with :30 remaining. LSU attempted a 65-yard FG on the game's final play, but Quinton Reese blocked it to seal the Auburn win.

2004: With the threat of Hurricane Ivan looming, members of the Auburn football team spent Wednesday though Friday nights in hotels as the Auburn University campus was closed, but the game went on as scheduled. The seemingly automatic extra point proved to be a challenge for both teams, but a second chance for Auburn allowed the Tigers to emerge with a 10-9 win in "The Extra Point Game." LSU missed the PAT after its first-quarter touchdown, but still led 9-3 late in the game. After Courtney Taylor hauled in a 16-yard score with just 1:14 left to tie the score, Auburn missed its extra point. An LSU personal foul gave John Vaughn a second chance, and he delivered the winning point.

2005: The first overtime game between the two teams was won by LSU, 20-17, when John Vaughn's 39-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright. A 30-yard field goal by LSU's Chris Jackson to start the overtime turned out to be the winning points. Jackson forced overtime with a 44-yard field goal with just 1:40 left, moments after Auburn had taken a 17-14 lead on a 5-yard pass from Brandon Cox to Anthony Mix on fourth down with 4:52 left.

2006: In a battle between two top-10 teams, Brandon Cox's 1-yard quarterback sneak in the third quarter was the only touchdown in a 7-3 Auburn victory. No. 3 Auburn held off two late scoring chances for No. 6 LSU, as Eric Brock ended one drive by tipping away a fourth-down pass, then tackled Craig Davis on the 4-yard line on the game's final play to preserve the victory.

2007: Matt Flynn hit Demetrius Byrd with a 22-yard scoring pass with just one second left to lift No. 5 LSU to a 30-24 victory over No. 18 Auburn. Brandon Cox had connected with Rodgeriqus Smith on a 3-yard scoring pass with just 3:21 left to give Auburn a 24-23 lead before Flynn's pass capped a 58-yard game-winning drive.  Several seemingly controversial calls by officials seemed to mar the outcome of the game, and some Auburn fans call this game “The Robbery”.

In all, 20 of the 42 games played between the two schools have been decided by a touchdown or less, with LSU owning a 10-9-1 edge in those games.

TUB VS. THE BAYOU BENGALS
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville is 7-6 against LSU and his squads have scored at least 30 points in five of those wins. Tuberville guided Ole Miss to victories over LSU in 1997 at Baton Rouge (36-21) and 1998 in Oxford (37-31). In 1999, Tuberville's Auburn squad won at LSU, 41-7, and claimed victories in Auburn in 2000 (34-17) and 2002 (31-7). A 10-9 victory in 2004 was the first Tuberville win in which his team did not score at least 30 points, and was followed by 2006's 7-3 victory.

Tuberville-coached teams have averaged 23.5 points (259 total) in the last 11 games against LSU, scoring at least 34 points in four of those contests.

TWO TOP DEFENSES COLLIDE
Two of the nation's toughest defenses will be on the field when LSU visits Auburn. Auburn leads the SEC and ranks third nationally in scoring defense (5.0), while LSU is 10th nationally (8.0). LSU is fifth nationally in rushing defense (48.0) while Auburn is ninth (53.0). In total defense, Auburn is 10th nationally (213.7) and LSU is 12th (219.0).

IN THE POLLS
Auburn 10th AP/9th USA Today
LSU 6th AP/6th USA Today

GAME TICKETS
Tickets are officially “sold out”.  Check scalper and Stub Hub prices by visiting www.auburnfootball.com, and clicking on the Tickets link, or searching our Ebay custom search located on our tickets page.   

RADIO:
The game will be broadcast throughout the Southeast on Auburn Network affiliate stations.  For a full list of Auburn Network affiliates, please visit http://www.auburnfootball.com/auburn-radio.htm. 

INTERNET:
Live audio & stats at www.auburntigers.com.  Also free radio coverage may be provided by Yahoo Sports at http://sports.yahoo.com and various Auburn affiliate stations.

UPDATES AND LATE BREAKING NEWS
Injury updates and late-breaking Auburn news can always be found on our message boards.  Visit our main web page at www.auburnfootball.com, and click on the TIGER INSIDER MESSAGE BOARDS link to find one of the best online Auburn communities on the internet! 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Auburn football game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 27 will be televised by CBS. Kickoff is slated for 2:30pm CST.

Thanks and War Eagle! 

Thomas "T." Price

AU Pharm '92

tprice@auburnfootball.com

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