What is in a name? The name of the website you are likely reading this on is built on a defensive fight, a massive upset, a play, and a crowd reaction so boisterous that it registered on a seismograph, a geological tool that detects seismic waves in the ground caused by volcanic eruptions and, of course, earthquakes.
LSU in 1988 was led by head coach Mike Archer in his second season. The Tigers were 2-2 heading into the October 8 matchup with the No. 4 Auburn Tigers, who were 4-0, led by head coach Pat Dye. As mentioned, it was a defensive fight. Auburn led 3-0 at halftime on a 41-yard field goal from Win Lyle. To put the defensive battle into perspective, LSU trailed Auburn in total yards at halftime, 145-54. The teams punted a combined 12 times in the first half, and Auburn’s Reggie Slack threw an interception. After a third quarter that saw Slack throw his second interception of the game and quite a few more punts, Lyle added another field goal to make it 6-0 Auburn. After some more back-and-forth, LSU took over at its own 25. Quarterback Tommy Hodson stayed cool, moving the ball downfield and converting two fourth downs on the drive. After driving into Auburn territory, Hodson dropped back and looked for tailback Eddie Fuller, wide open in the end zone, but Fuller bobbled the ball and the pass fell incomplete. The first fourth-down conversion came on fourth and nine to Willie Williams, who caught it near the numbers for the first down. On the next play, Fuller got a chance to redeem himself. Hodson rifled one to Fuller in the back of the end zone, but Fuller was ruled out of bounds. A couple more incompletions later, on fourth and 10 from the Auburn 11-yard line with 1:47 left in the game, Hodson took the snap, dropped back and fired another pass to Fuller in the back of the end zone. This time he was in bounds for the touchdown, his redemption on the third attempt. And the Valley shook. The cheers of a likely victory rang out for 15 to 20 minutes and were so loud they registered on a seismograph 1,000 feet away in the Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex. LSU forced a turnover on downs to seal the 7-6 victory. The game has been known ever since as the Earthquake Game.
LSU and Auburn first played in 1901 when Auburn shut LSU out in Baton Rouge 28-0, but since then LSU has taken over the series record at 30-24 (as usual, give or take a few vacated wins). While The Earthquake Game is the most notable, there have been plenty of historical matchups. The Night the Barn Burned came in 1996. Auburn scored a late touchdown and needed a two-point conversion to tie, but the attempt was intercepted and returned for two points by LSU safety Raion Hill, all while the Auburn Fire Department worked to put out a fire at the basketball arena across the street. The Mad Hatter Les Miles in 2007 gambled and won with his questionable clock management, which saw Matt Flynn throw a touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd in the corner of the end zone with one second left in the game. This rivalry saw Cam Newton’s Heisman moment in 2010 with his 49-yard touchdown run that propelled No. 4 Auburn to a 24-17 win over No. 6 LSU. The 2016 game marked another interesting clock situation for Les Miles. A review of what would have been a game-winning touchdown pass from Danny Etling to D.J. Chark ruled that time had expired. An illegal shift on the previous play had left the Tigers only one second to snap the ball. The controversial ruling led to the firing of Les Miles. In 2017, under Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers fought back from being down 20, to win 27-23, highlighted by a 75-yard punt return touchdown from DJ Chark. My personal favorite was Cole Tracy’s 42-yard game-winner on the road in 2018, which made it 22-21 and led LSU fans to donate more than $20,000 to Assumption College, the Division II school Tracy left as a graduate transfer.
The two last met in 2023 in Baton Rouge for another installment of the Jayden Daniels show. The eventual Heisman winner completed 20 of his 27 passes for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns and one interception. Daniels added 93 yards on the ground from 11 carries, but Logan Diggs led all rushers on the day with 97 yards from 18 carries and one going for a score. Kyren Lacy led the receivers with four catches for 111 yards and a score. Zy Alexander led LSU with nine tackles, while Harold Perkins Jr. and Mekhi Wingo both added a sack. For Auburn, Peyton Thorne struggled, going 12 of 23 for 102 yards passing. Robby Ashford threw Auburn’s only touchdown pass of the game. Jeremiah Cobb was the leading rusher for Auburn with 10 carries for 69 yards. Jarquez Hunter scored Auburn’s rushing touchdown. Eugene Asante led Auburn defensively with 12 tackles and a sack. No. 22 LSU was the victor, 48-18.
The two will meet Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The game will be broadcast on ABC.