Top Ten Auburn Football Games; 2002-2006
7-23-07
by: Mark

I witnessed 39 football games between 2002 and 2006 while I was a student at Auburn. I was horribly, horribly spoiled. I feel bad for you suckers who attended Auburn during less awesome periods. When I wrote down my top ten favorite games, I couldn’t even include an SEC Championship game because I was able to easily think of ten games more legendary that that one.

Games are ranked based on awesomeness - a scientific measurement which weighs things like; long term impact of the game, rival level, uniqueness and atmosphere.

10. Auburn vs. Georgia 2004


ESPN Game Recap

The atmosphere was amazing. ESPN’s Gameday was kind enough to appear early that morning to tell the fans that Georgia would beat us. Lee Corso actually gave us the death kiss by being the only one to say Auburn would win. Fourteen hours of doubting passed and Auburn easily beats Georgia, giving Auburn hope of a national championship.

This game also stands out to me as when Carnell Williams decided to stop calling fair catches on punt returns. It was exciting to watch because it forced

those in the stands to feel an array of emotions in a matter of seconds; anticipation, fear, hope, relief and excitement. It was awesome. Still, I thought endangering himself like that was a pretty stupid idea, but then again, its three years later and he’s a millionaire and I’m not.


9. Auburn vs. LSU 2006


ESPN Game Recap
Auburner Recap

This was a gut-wrenching game. The ending was much like Rocky II – the winner was basically the team which had just enough functioning organs to stand at the end. Watching Brandon, and Kenny getting pounded play after play was depressing – but it was inspiring to watch them keep pushing against LSU’s monster defense.

LSU screwed themselves by injuring Cole Bennett in this game. Since he was given a medical red shirt, they’ll have to endure another 60 minutes of his pounding.

Ok, ok. The 2004 SEC Championship game was more awesome that these past two, but I really did see eight games more awesome than that game!


8. Auburn vs. Syracuse 2002



 Auburn was supposed to win this one fairly easily. However, this game turned ugly pretty quick when Syracuse went up 17-0. Auburn came back in the second half to tie the game 17-17 and win in three overtimes in which Carnell Williams ran for what seemed like five miles.

This was the only game from the 2002 I could list – mostly because I don’t remember many other games, but this game in particular stands out as the first game I experienced an Auburn football atmosphere at its most electrifying.

I wore a blue sweater to this game. Not an Auburn sweater even. Just a blue sweater... what a dweeb...

This game is also famous for being the subject of the much forwarded newspaper column in which a New York sportswriter describes Auburn football. Auburn people are very proud of this column - but after reading it again almost five years later, I’d almost think the guy was making fun of us.

7. 2004 Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Virginia Tech


ESPN Recap
Auburner Recap

Except for the awesome trick play which occurred during the second half kickoff, there really isn’t much I remember about the game. My seat was on the very top row of the top upper-upper-upper deck. The players looked like ants, even Marcus McNeil! The game still finds itself on the list because it was the freakin’ Sugar Bowl. It’s every young football player’s dream to one day play in a game sponsored by a telecommunications company in Finland.

New Orleans was fun – even if Ryan and I did stay in a hotel in which the 2nd and 3rd floors were condemned due to rat infestations.

 

6. Auburn vs. Alabama 2003

Do you want to know how ridiculously old I am? I was a senior in high school when Alabama last beat Auburn (Kodi Burns was in 7th grade). While I barely remember it now, the beating was fresh on Auburn fan’s minds in 2003 – the game was the first game in Jordan-Hare since the upset.

Cadillac’s touchdown on the first snap of the game may have been the most important single play in Auburn’s recent history. Without that play, Auburn loses the game. There’s no winning win streak against Alabama. Tuberville would’ve been fired. Borges stays in California. 2004 doesn’t happen. William Walker remains president of Auburn. Earth leaves orbit around sun. Everyone is dead.

I heard Auburn’s Rammer Jammer cheer the first time after this game. It was beautiful.

5. Auburn vs. Tennessee 2003


ESPN Recap

This game was played during a time when Auburn fans didn’t assume Auburn would win going into every game. Everyone was terrified of this game. Auburn blew the preseason #6 ranking by being blown out by USC and Georgia Tech. After cakewalks against Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky, Auburn fans were expecting the worse when faced with another real team (ranked #7 at the time). A new Auburn took the field and completely owned Tennessee the first half. Auburn allowed Tennessee to come back in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough. It was a rollercoaster ride which foreshadowed the kind of games we’d see regularly in 2004.

4. Auburn vs. Alabama 2005


ESPN Recap
Auburner Recap		 BWAHAHAHAAHHA!!!!!1

Hilarious game.

There was no better way of christening the newly named “Pat Dye Field” than by breaking a bottle of 1983 Croyle over the field eleven times. I would’ve ranked the game higher, but I knocked it down a few points due to ‘strength of schedule’ logic.

3. Auburn vs. LSU 2004


ESPN Recap

I saw Live Free of Die Hard the other day. As I was watching, I had the thought;

“Wait a minute! It’s impossible to chase down a terrorist by using the tail wing of a damaged fighter jet to surf down a collapsing highway off-ramp!”

But then I remembered that time I witnessed Auburn’s last drive in the 2004 LSU game and concluded everything I’ve ever seen in a movie is plausible. Thank you, Jason Campbell, for allowing me to enjoy summer movies.

2. Auburn vs. Georgia 2005

Eight lead changes. You’d almost think someone working at Disney wrote the ending for this game. It was 3rd and 10, Auburn had no chance at getting the ball back if they lost possession. Therefore, Brandon Cox threw a perfect pass to the man who always comes through in the clutch times – Courtney Taylor. Taylor drops the ball. What the crap? He never drops balls in clutch situations! Taylor let us all down! It's basically over now!

Fourth down – Cox passes to Aromashodu. It’s complete, and he goes 62 yards and fumbles! Courtney Taylor not only recovers, but he sets things up to allow John Vaughn a second chance to win the game at the last second! What a guy!

Don’t tell anybody I told you, but this game almost made me jealous of Pac-10 games which tend to be full of these kinds of high scoring games.

1. Auburn vs. Florida 2006

Auburn became the first member of the Southeastern Conference to be reprimanded for rocking too hard. Even though Auburn apologized – whoever had control over the sound system has my respect for playing AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” with the amplifiers turned to 11 during 3rd downs.

This game was also memorable for being Trey Blackmon’s debut. Tuberville says he was ‘suspended’ up until this point, but it’s pretty clear that Blackmon was being held back from playing so he could have his first television appearance during sweeps.

Auburn didn’t win this game by conventional means. It seemed like 80% of the plays in the game were beneficial to Florida, but there were about five glorious plays in the game which certain Auburn players became unstoppable. Since the Ole Miss game in 2003, Auburn defenses have had the tendency to destroy pretty-boy quarterbacks. I love this trend.

If Florida won this game, they would’ve still won the national championship and Auburn would’ve still gone to the Cotton Bowl.

After everything was over, the game had very little impact over final rankings. However, this game is still #1 because it was simply the most fun game I’ve ever watched.

War Eagle!

Next top ten list:
Most hilarious Bama scandals 2002-2006.

E-mail Mark at mark@theauburner.com

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