CSTV's Eric Sorenson Talks About The Auburn-LSU Rivalry

Here are some interesting comments from Eric Sorenson of CSTV. He was in Tiger Stadium Saturday night and gives his take on the game and the Auburn-LSU rivalry...

By Eric Sorenson
My taste buds and college football senses have been frolicking in nirvana! I made it back to Baton Rouge for the LSU-Auburn game and a three-day mini tour-de-force of the wicked-awesome eating establishments in the area.

We hit places like The Chimes (get the alligator appetizer and any one of the 600 beers), Louie's (the most unbelievable breakfast in the history of ever), Mike Anderson's (a little crowded after the game, but worth it) and, best of all, my friend's parents' house (un-Godly good gumbo ... but I'm not going to tell you where they live, they couldn't handle the parking).

And yes, LSU and Auburn played out another classic tale in that rivalry. Glad I was there to see it. Throughout the SEC there were some nice white-knucklers that kept Georgia and Alabama on top, but with a lot of potholes still ahead. Elsewhere, Texas leaps over USC at the top of the BCS.

That's not as alarming of a fact as Virginia Tech still having barely a sliver of a chance at playing for the national title, much less the Junkyard Dogs and the Crimson Tide. Was wondering ... Does anybody notice what UCLA is doing and who out there was kind of pulling for Baylor over Oklahoma? I wouldn't blame you.

Question No. 1

What are the 10 most pertinent comments on the LSU-Auburn game?
1. This has to be the strangest rivalry in the country. Hands down (More on this later).
2. The tailgating makes this place special. It's a happening. You can't wave a fork in the air without hitting a jambalaya pot or a cooler full of beer. Must've been 200,000+ people out there for the pre-game alone.
3. The announced crowd of 92,664 didn't seem as loud as I thought it would be. Probably because of...
4. Sat in the reworked upper deck, six rows from the top. That was approximately seven stories from the field and well away from a lot of the crowd noise (along with the poor sound system we couldn't hear).
5. Despite no tickets to be had outside, there were a lot of empty seats around the stadium.
6. JaMarcus Russell has great potential. Let's face it, sitting up high as I was, you realize how inaccurate he is and how he should've tucked and run on a number of occasions.
7. With Russell struggling, I heard numerous "put in Matt Flynn" calls from the stands. Yet, on the replay of the game, the announcers repeatedly glossed on Russell. Were they watching the same game?
8. Skyler Green went 66 yards on a punt return, then went underutilized again, totaling 45 yards elsewhere. Well... then again, look at all the other weapons on this team. So I take it back.
9. Yes, I saw Kenny Irons making his "gonna go for 200" promise when he got off the bus. Sure enough, he got 218 yards, which included a scintillating 73-yard, hide-and-seek-and-sprint.
10. That upper deck is way too steep to be hitting the flask too much during the game.

Question No. 2

Why is LSU-Auburn the strangest rivalry in the country?

A: The quake, the interception-fest, the wildfire, the eye-stomp, the point-after flop and now, field goal-gate. It's always Mondo-Bizarro World when these two face off.

1988 - The earthquake game won by LSU, 7-6, on a late touchdown (It is claimed that celebration started the tremor. I know for a fact it didn't actually happen at that time, but won't get into here.)
1994 - LSU blows a 23-9 lead in the fourth quarter, when Jamie Howard serves up five (yes, 5) interceptions, three of which are returned for touchdowns in Auburn's amazing 30-26 comeback win. Many said that led to Coach Curley Hallman's demise in bayou country.
1996 - A fire, started by an outdoor grill that was left under an overhang of an old gymnasium, blazes wildly just beyond the upper deck of Jordan-Hare Stadium. LSU won, 19-15.
2001 - Auburn comes out stomping on the tiger "eye" in the middle of the field, starting a pre-game brawl. Auburn is penalized 15 yards on the opening kickoff. LSU pulls off an onside kick and goes in for a quick touchdown, leading to a 27-14 romp.
2004 - LSU's Ronnie Prude was flagged on the ever-rare landing-on-an-opponent call on a missed extra point. The re-kick for Auburn is good, giving the Plainsmen a 10-9 win.
2005 - This year, it was the mysterious force field around the goalposts in Tiger Stadium. Auburn's John Vaughn missed five field goals, including the game-tying try that dinged off the upright in OT. LSU also missed a pair of kicks to bring the grand total to seven missed field goals. Geez, where's Kendall Trainor, man?