re: Top 5 SEC games of all time

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No. 29 LSU 17 ... Ole Miss 16, November 4, 1972

At the time: No. 6 LSU was 6-0 and on a ten-game wining streak against an Ole Miss team that broke a three-game losing streak with a 31-7 win over Vanderbilt to get to 4-3. This was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Tigers with the big game against Alabama coming up the following week.

The setup: LSU had a hard time getting going, down 16-10 early in the fourth quarter as Rebel QB Norris Weese ran for a touchdown and Steve Lavinghouze kicked three field goals. Coming in for a fourth field goal attempt, Lavinghouze missed a 27-yarder that would've put Ole Miss up 19-10. Tiger QB Bert Jones took a long sack trying to convert on fourth down and Ole Miss appeared to have things wrapped up. But the Rebel offense couldn't do anything from the LSU 45 and gave the ball back to Jones on his own 20 with just over three minutes to play.

The ending: Jones started off the drive with a long completion, but he faced a fourth and one in Ole Miss territory. A six-yard pickup gave the Tigers the first down, but the clock was quickly ticking down. With ten seconds to play, LSU had it on the Ole Miss 20. The Rebels were nailed with a pass interference call putting it on the ten with four seconds to play. With what appeared to be one final chance, Jones misfired on a throw to the end zone, but miraculously, the Death Valley clock showed one second to play. The celebrating, and stunned, Rebels had to gear up for one more play. Jones looked at his three receivers, but the play was called for his running back, Brad Davis, to run out of the backfield and to the back of the end zone. Jones didn't look at Davis until the last second so the play could develop, but he threw a duck. It got to Davis, who had a hard time seeing the ball in the lights, bobbled it, and was knocked out of bounds. The official signaled touchdown triggering a mass of Tiger fans running on the field with the extra point still to come. Several minutes later, Rusty Jackson hit the extra point for the 17-16 win.

How they ended up: Ole Miss never got over the clock gaffe as the 1973 media guide read Ole Miss 16, LSU 10+7. The following week, the Tigers lost 35-21 to Alabama. They ended the year with a 24-17 loss to Tennessee in the Bluebonnet Bowl to finish 9-2-1 ranking 11th in the AP and 10th in the UPI. Ole Miss split its final two games to finish 5-5.


No. 17 LSU 7 ... Auburn 6, October 8, 1988

At the time: Auburn was 4-0 after dominating its first four games by a total of 161 to 44. LSU was 2-2, but had blown out Tennessee and Texas A&M before losing to Ohio State and Florida.

The setup: It was the ultimate defensive battle with each offense failing to do much of anything. Auburn's attack, which was averaging over 40 points per game, could only manage two field goals for a 6-0 lead late in the game. The Tigers had a few chances with Eddie Fuller dropping a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. LSU QB Tommy Hodson finally moved the ball enough to get down to the Auburn ten with 1:41 to play.

The ending: Hodson was able to finally get the attack moving with a key first down to Willie Williams and getting good protection from the offensive line. On the Auburn 11, Fuller came up with a catch in the back of the end zone, but he was out of bounds. Eventually faced with a 4th and nine, LSU didn't even think about the field goal and the onside kick, considering the offense had struggled so much against the loaded Auburn defense. Hodson dropped back and found Fuller in the seam. This time, the Tiger receiver hung on to tie it 6-6 causing the Death Valley crowd of 79,341 fans to go so ballistic that they caused a tremor that was registered by the LSU Geology Departments seismograph. At precisely 9:32 p.m., the LSU fans literally rocked the world. David Browndyke nailed the extra point for the 7-6 lead. Auburn had one final drive, but the LSU defense came up with the stop.

How they ended up: LSU would finish the season a 8-4, but it won the SEC title before losing 23-10 in Syracuse in the Hall of Fame Bowl ending up 19th in the AP poll. The earthquake play might have prevented Auburn from playing for the national title. Auburn won its remaining six games giving up a total of 31 points in the process. If Auburn had beaten LSU, it most likely would've faced Notre Dame for the national championship. Instead, it played Florida State in the Sugar Bowl losing 13-7 as Deion Sanders picked off a late pass in the end zone to finish 8th in the AP and 7th in the UPI poll.

5. Georgia 26 ... Florida 21, November 8, 1980

At the time: Georgia, led by freshman sensation Herschel Walker, was 8-0 and ranked second in the nation coming off a tough 13-10 win over George Rogers and South Carolina. Florida was coming into the Cocktail Party ranked 20th with a 6-1 record only losing 24-7 to LSU.

The setup: Walker kicked things off with a bang, tearing off a 72-yard touchdown run on the Dawgs' first drive. A 13-yard touchdown pass from Buck Belue gave Georgia a 14-3 lead, but Florida was able to come back late in the first half on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Chris Collinsworth. It still looked like Georgia's day getting up 20-10 on two field goals, but once again, Florida fought back getting within two on a James Jones touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass to Tyrone Young. The comeback seemed complete as Florida took a 21-20 lead on a 40-yard Brian Clark field goal late in the fourth quarter. Georgia's defense was able to keep the Gators from running out the clock, but there was only 1:35 to play with the offense starting on its eight.

The ending: Belue was having a horrible game. Walker was the Georgia offense rushing for 238 yards, while the Bulldog quarterback had only managed 52 passing yards with two interceptions. A sack and an incompletion made it 3rd and ten with 93 yards to go and just over a minute to play. Belue had to get a first down and was looking for Lindsay Scott, who earlier in the year had been booted off the team and had to get over a broken foot. Belue rolled out around his own goal line and found Scott in the middle of the field for the first down. Two Gator defenders appeared to have a bead on the tackle, but they fell allowing Scott to run free down the left sideline making his way for the improbable 93-yard touchdown. Florida's last gasp drive ended before it could start as Georgia's Mike Fisher made a game-sealing interception on the first play.

How they ended up: Florida had a hard time recovering losing two of its final three games before beating Maryland 35-20 in the Tangerine Bowl to finish 8-4 and 19th in the UPI Poll. Georgia won its final three games ending with a 17-10 victory over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl and was national champion in both polls.

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You gotta put Arkansas/Ole Miss 8 OT game.

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