September 18, 2004
AUBURN (AP) - No missed extra point was going to save LSU this time.
Jason Campbell hit Courtney Taylor for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:14 to play and Auburn (No. 15 ESPN/USAToday; No. 14 AP) got two chances to kick the winning extra point in a 10-9 victory over LSU (No. 4 ESPN/USAToday; No. 5 AP) Saturday.
John Vaughn's first PAT attempt went wide left after a low snap, but Ronnie Prude was called for a personal foul, giving Auburn (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) another shot.
Vaughn drilled his next try through the uprights with holder Sam Rives saving another bad snap, preventing a repeat of LSU's season opener when Oregon State's Alexis Serna missed his third extra point of the game in overtime for a 22-21 LSU victory.
LSU's Ryan Gaudet instead missed his point after kick following LSU's touchdown on a brilliant opening drive that was definitely not a sign of things to come.
Auburn's final drive, in fact, provided just about the only offensive dramatics. Campbell led a 12-play, 59-yard march that milked most of the remaining 6:38 off the clock.
Ronnie Brown had a 20-yard run and Campbell and Taylor did the rest. Taylor also caught a 14-yard pass on fourth-and-12 from the 28.
The score came on third-and-12, with Campbell finding Taylor in the back of the end zone for his first career touchdown catch. Taylor knelt on his right knee in quiet celebration after the score and many Auburn fans hung around after the game, far less quietly.
LSU (2-1, 0-1), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped, moved into Auburn territory behind redshirt freshman quarterback JaMarcus Russell. But his final pass deflected off Doucet into the hands of Auburn's Junior Rosegreen with 8 seconds left.
LSU pounded Auburn 31-7 last season in Baton Rouge, a crippling blow to a team that had SEC championship hopes that now seem far more realistic.
LSU's shaky offense -- with Russell and Marcus Randall rotating -- finally caught up with the defending co-national champions.
The game's status was in doubt until Friday morning because of Hurricane Ivan, which affected both Alabama and Louisiana. Despite the storm, the game drew a full house to Jordan-Hare Stadium, 87,451 fans.
They were treated to a pair of defenses that allowed few yards and no points after the first 17 minutes in a stalemate that lasted nearly to the end.
Campbell was 16-of-27 for 170 yards and no interceptions. Carnell Williams had success running early but finished with 75 yards on 18 carries. Brown gained 67 yards on nine runs.
Russell was 8-of-19 for 123 yards. Randall was 4-of-9 for 45 yards, all on the opening drive, and lost a fumble.
The game little resembled the recent history of the rivalry. The previous six games had been decided by an average of 20.5 points.
With both offenses playing conservatively, it was the defenses that tried to turn the momentum with big stops late in the third quarter.
LSU was facing third-and-8 on Auburn's 33 but got pushed back 20 yards by delay of game and personal foul penalties. Then, Bret Eddins sacked Randall for a 10-yard loss to force a punt.
Auburn moved to LSU's 3-yard line on Campbell's passing and a busted trick play that worked. Brown took a pitch, rolled left and looked to pass but instead kept it and ran 7 yards. Auburn went for it on fourth down but Campbell's pass to Anthony Mix in the end zone fell incomplete.
Randall directed a nearly flawless opening drive, moving LSU 80 yards on 14 plays and hitting Dwayne Bowe for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Gaudet missed the point after kick and LSU only completed one more pass before the half.
Auburn then drove to LSU's 5-yard line but settled for Vaughn's 29-yard field goal after LaRon Landry sacked Campbell on third down.
The only other scoring in the first 3? quarters was Chris Jackson's 42-yard field goal for LSU early in the second quarter.