Countdown to Kickoff: 5 Days

It’s still officially game week, everyone, and we’re five days to kickoff. Five! Today is Monday, and we’ve only got a few short days left until Auburn takes on Washington in Atlanta.

Anyway, we’re at five on the Countdown to Kickoff.

While we’ve been highlighting plays that spanned the number of yards of each day until kick, today it’s a little different. We’re highlighting the Auburn-LSU rivalry by harkening back to 1994 and the five interceptions in the fourth quarter. Three of those got returned for touchdowns, erasing what was a 23-9 LSU lead, and giving Auburn a 30-26 win. It was the thirteenth win in a row for Terry Bowden to begin his Auburn career, and moved the Tigers to 3-0 early in 1994.

Check the tape.

Jamie Howard and Curley Hallman should be inducted into the dunce hall of fame for this one. Leading by two scores, they should have tried to run clock. Sure, the first pick six could be flukey, but after that, it’s time to buckle down. After the second one, you’ve still got a lead, and Auburn’s offense couldn’t move the ball all game.

Still, Howard kept throwing, and Brian Robinson’s convoy into the endzone is one of the more memorable images from that mid-1990s stretch. The game is odd because LSU simply wasn’t that good, and Auburn’s offense definitely picked it up after that, scoring at least 31 points in every game until the tie with Georgia.

After the Earthquake Game, this was Auburn’s first really solid entry into the bonanza of crazy meetings in this rivalry. The next season we’d get the Phantom Whistle, which was followed by the Barn Burning, then the Cigar Game, the Band Game, the Hurricane Game, the John Vaughn Game, the Demetrius Byrd Game, etc., etc.

However, when people think that Auburn’s penchant for playing wild contests is at its peak in the current time, show them this film and set the record straight. It’s always been this way.

Five days to kick — War Eagle!