Gonna Have Big Fun....

“Thibodeaux, fountainbleau, the place is a buzzin’, Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen, Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh, Son of a gun we’ll have big fun down on the bayou…..well jambalaya, crawfish pie and-a fillet gumbo, cause tonight I’m gonna see my mon cher amio, Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay-o, Son of a gun we’ll have big fun down on the bayou.”

Hank Williams first released this song back in 1952, and it reached number one on the country charts almost immediately. It remained number one for 14 straight weeks. The song is clearly Cajun in theme, and encapsulates the fun and excitement on a Saturday night in the Louisiana bayou.

Saturday night on the bayou. It’s that time again. Auburn and LSU. Strange things happen when these two old rivals come together. Allow me, for a moment, to stroll with you down memory lane.

It was 1988. Auburn’s national championship hopes were on the line. Auburn was leading 6-0 with less than two minutes left in the game. LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson threw a touchdown pass to Eddie Fuller which caused the crowd to roar so loud that it registered on the campus seismograph as an earthquake. LSU won, 7-6.

In 1994, LSU led 23-9 going into the fourth quarter. Auburn had a 13 game winning streak going on at the time. Auburn intercepted 5 Jamie Howard passes in the fourth quarter, returning 3 for touchdowns, giving Auburn a 30-26 victory.

The next year, down in the bayou, Patrick Nix dropped back to pass out of the Auburn endzone. He thought he heard a whistle blow, stopped where he was, and sacked for a safety. Auburn lost the 1995 game, 12-6.

The following year, in 1996, while the two sets of Tigers were playing at Jordan-Hare stadium, the old Sports Arena was burning to the ground. The flames were so high that they could be seen from inside Jordan-Hare. Jarrett Holmes missed three field goals that day, and LSU won 19-15.

In 1999, Auburn went into Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Tommy Tuberville’s birthday and showed no mercy. Not only did they beat the Bengal Tigers of LSU 41-7, they celebrated the win and the birthday by smoking cigars while standing in the endzone.

In 2001, the game was moved to December because of 9-11 and the World Trade Center tragedy. LSU won at home that night, 27-14. Tommy Tuberville had to get security to escort him to the team bus.

In 2004, Hurricane Ivan almost forced the game to be delayed until later in the season. However, on Friday morning it was announced the two teams would play as scheduled. The defending national champion Bengal Tigers came into Auburn and took a 9-3 lead. Because of a failed extra point, the Auburn Tigers were in striking distance. With 1:14 left to play, Jason Campbell hit Courtney Taylor for a 16 yard touchdown pass. Auburn missed the extra point, but a personal foul was called on LSU’s Ronnie Prude. The second time was a charm, and Auburn won, 10-9.

The winner of the 2004 game, John Vaughn, became the goat in 2005. He missed 5 field goals in Baton Rouge and LSU won 20-17.

In 2006, the pair of Tigers entered the game at Jordan Hare Stadium with their highest head-to-head ranking ever. Both teams were early season national title contenders. LSU led 3-0 at halftime. Auburn took the lead with a third quarter touchdown, and held on to win, 7-3. It was the lowest scoring game between the two Tiger teams since 1935, when LSU won 6-0.

The 2007 game was played down in the bayou , and will be remembered for the winning field goal kick that never happened. Down 24-23, LSU was driving the ball. They were within field goal range with the clock running. LSU had one time out left. In one of the most discussed plays of 2007, the Les Miles led Tigers decided to try a long pass to the endzone before a possible fieldgoal attempt. The pass was caught and LSU won 30-24.

Last year the College Gameday crew came to Auburn for the matchup between Auburn and LSU. Auburn took a 14-3 lead at halftime, only to come out and squander it. LSU changed quarterbacks, and ended up winning 26-21. It was LSU’s first victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 10 years.

Which bring us to 2009. Saturday night. A renewal of the rivalry between two foes. Strange things can happen down on the bayou on Saturday night. Does Auburn have one up its sleeve? What will Les Miles do? We’ll have to see……Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun down on the bayou.


WJLaneSR