Both Tigers have plenty of other rivalries to keep them busy, most of those dating back to the early 1900’s or before, but since 1988 tension between Auburn and LSU has been growing into a fiercely competitive rivalry. Both teams are dominant in the SEC and LSU has been winning more and more of the contests between the two schools since the early days when Auburn was clearly dominant.
One of the most infamous match-ups between LSU and Auburn was the Earthquake Game of 1988. Auburn brought its #4 team to Tiger Stadium expecting their powerhouse offense to march right over the Bayou Bengals. Neither team intended to give ground easily that night and both were held scoreless until the last two minutes of the game when a fourth and goal touchdown, the same play that had failed to score on third down just before, brought the underdog LSU out on top and brought the fans to their feet in such a violent explosion of enthusiasm that a seismograph on LSU’s campus, about 1,000 feet away from the stadium, registered an earthquake.
In 1995 the Bengal Tigers put on their white uniforms for a home game for the first time in 15 years when they invited #5 Auburn into Death Valley. This became a point of controversy between the two teams because of a play when Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix stopped action when he heard a whistle from the stands, thinking it was the end of the play. He was sacked for a safety and when a pass from Nix was intercepted in the end zone on the last play of the game meaning the end of the Auburn’s run to the SEC Championship. The series has grown increasingly competitive over the years with LSU just barely ahead at 24-20-1. Both teams continue to be serious players in the SEC and coming years could see anything happen.
