As if the release of A96 Productions wasn’t enough to get your blood pumping for the upcoming season, I have decided to give you a 30 day countdown of the top 30 games at Jordan-Hare Stadium over the last 30 years. Was that enough 30’s for you? With the season starting 30 days from today, I will release one game per day, with the countdown culminating on September 3rd, the day before the Tigers take on Arkansas State.
I will begin each post with a short synopsis of how I remember the game. I’m going to do this without reading any summaries or watching any videos, so this can also be a good study of my memory. I will then study up on the game and give a short game summary in case you’ve forgotten, or weren’t alive when the game was played.
That reminds me, if you were in college in the early 80’s and the Wake Forest game in 1981 was magical to you, and it doesn’t happen to make the list, I’m sorry. I’m only 28, and my knowledge of Auburn football starts around 1993. Anything before that I learned from the “Auburn’s Decade of the 80’s” VHS tape. I will try my best to keep this list from being very “recent-game-heavy”, but I can’t make promises that a 2002 Syracuse type of game from the 1986 season will make the list. Don’t worry though, you’ll get your Bo and Dye games.
As with any list, I expect the disagreements to be at a maximum, so be sure to leave comments, and tell me that I’m completely wrong. If you totally agree, you can comment, too. So here you go…The Top 30 Games at Jordan-Hare Stadium in the Last 30 Years. Enjoy!
30. Auburn 37 vs. Syracuse 34 (3 OT) – Sept. 28, 2002
How I Remember It: This game was supposed to be a blowout. Syracuse came in with a lousy record. Auburn had the close loss to USC, but had won three straight and was nationally ranked. I had no doubt going into Jordan-Hare Stadium that night that Auburn would easily exact revenge over the 2001 loss to the Orangemen (they were still the Orangemen at the time).
My only visual memories of the game were Syracuse returning a punt for a touchdown in the first half and watching Cadillac run around left end (I think) in triple overtime to win it. I also remember the game ended around midnight as a result of the free football.
What Really Happened: Auburn came into the game heavily favored and should have blown Syracuse away, but after the Orangemen kicked a field goal, returned a punt 85 yards, and tacked on a 68-yard rushing touchdown, things looked pretty bleak for the Tigers. That’s when backup quarterback Jason Campbell and Company scored 24 straight points, taking the lead 24-17 with seven minutes to play.
Syracuse ended up driving down the field, with their own backup quarterback, and scored to the tie the game with 25 seconds left. That’s when things really got crazy.
In the first overtime, Syracuse had to settle for a field goal attempt. They ended up fumbling the snap, giving Auburn the chance to win with just a field goal. As if the 2010 Outback Bowl gods were watching, Auburn ended up having their field goal attempt blocked to send the game into double overtime.
Both teams scored rushing touchdowns in the next overtime period, Cadillac scoring his first of two for the game.
In the final overtime, Syracuse had to settle for a field goal and was successful, giving Auburn the chance to win with a touchdown. That’s when Cadillac ran around left end for a 7-yard score to give Auburn the win.
Fun Fact: Auburn and Syracuse have played three times in football and two of the three ended regulation with a tie score.
Why did I pick this game? After going down 17 points, the game seemed lost, but Auburn battled back, and won it with a wild finish in three overtimes. Most Auburn fans still talk about this game, even though there were no national or conference implications, because of how crazy the comeback and finish were. The after-midnight finish was also pretty unique.
The week after the game, a Syracuse journalist wrote an article titled “Go to Auburn, Be Changed Forever” about his trip to the plains and how it changed his perception of college football in Auburn and how it compares to football in upstate New York. If one game’s atmosphere can leave that kind of impression on an outsider, then it definitely deserves to be in the top 30 games every played at Jordan-Hare.
Play of the Game: Cadillac’s touchdown-scoring run in triple overtime.
Player of the Game: Obviously, this go to Cadillac. 202 rushing yards and two rushing TD’s in overtime, including the game-winner, will get you “player of the game” honors any day.
Quote of the Game:“This game was a character builder for us. We didn’t play well the first half. We were down 17 points, but our guys fought back and we did a good job in the second half. We played better after the half and we just outlasted them. It was a tough game with a lot of obstacles, but this game shows the strength of our program.” – Tommy Tuberville
National stories: ESPN | USA Today
Other game notes and quotes: Auburn | Syracuse
7 comments
That was a nice birthday present. Caddy scored the game winner in the first minute of my 21st birthday.
I was at that game and kept wondering why Tubby stayed with Cobb so long. Campbell showed he was the better QB. In fact, Cobb would put us in a hole and Campbell would dig us out. Not too long after this game, Tubby accepted reality and made Jason the starter.
This was a great game to start the count down with. This game didn’t kick off until 8:00 pm that night. I started getting a migraine head ache during the game and it kept getting worse because of the lady behide us screaming in my ear. When caddy scored I forgot about the headache. What a great game! I love that you are doing this list.
I remember this game because my wife of 2 weeks at that time got tickets to go to the game with her friend. I watched it on TV. As overtime started, she came through the front door. I asked her what she was doing home, and she said the game was over since Auburn was down by so much…along with some story about huge bugs attacking them from being in the upper deck with the lights on. So she watched most of the game in the stands, thought they lost the game, came home and watched them win it in overtime on TV. Wow. She’s trained now, and doesn’t give up till the end. 2010 pretty much perfected that. WDE
This game was all about revenge for the 1987/88 Sugar Bowl. I waited 15 years to stick it to those jerks. 2001 was supposed to be the revenge game, but things didn’t work out, obviously. I had tix to that one but 9/11 intervened & I couldn’t fly to NY.
[…] go crazy (Alabama 2003) and score six touchdowns against Mississippi State (2003), I watched Auburn beat Syracuse after midnight, I watched Damon Duval curl a game winner between the uprights to beat #1 Florida (2001), I watched […]
I was in Desert Warfare Training in Nevada. We had just finished a sundown traing mission, got in in time for overtime. When we scored the wining touchdown, I went crazy. The dorms emptied out to see what was going on, just me watching the Tigers on TV. Finished the season with Tre Smith leading Auburn to victory and watched Auburn beat Penn State in Oman. Good football and military memories.