BATON ROUGE — It’s been called everything from the most feared road playing site in America to being ranked as one of college football’s best venues. With 92,400 seats and the carrying the nickname of Death Valley, Tiger Stadium has certainly lived up to its reputation as being one of college football’s most intimidating venues.
But unlike years past when Tiger Stadium has been susceptible to an opponent coming in and stealing a game away from the Tigers, LSU has been nearly perfect under third-year coach Les Miles when it comes to protecting its home turf.
As a matter of fact, LSU goes into Saturday’s game with 18th-ranked Auburn with a 17-1 record under Miles in games played in Tiger Stadium. Since dropping a 30-27 overtime contest to Tennessee to open the home slate in 2005, the Tigers have reeled off 17 straight victories, a streak that ranks as the nation’s longest.
Auburn brings a streak of its own into the contest as the Tigers have won eight straight SEC road games.
This year, LSU has already picked up wins over a three top 20 teams at home – beating ninth-ranked Virginia Tech, 48-7, No. 12 South Carolina, 28-16, and No. 7 Florida, 28-24. LSU’s other win in Tiger Stadium came against Middle Tennessee by a 44-0 count.
“You have to defend your house,” LSU defensive end Kirston Pittman said of Tiger Stadium following the win over South Carolina. “We feed on the energy of our fans here at home. When other teams come into Tiger Stadium, they know they are going to be in for a fight.”
In addition, the 17 straight wins in Tiger Stadium also ties the school record for consecutive victories in the 84-year old venue. LSU originally set the school record for consecutive wins in Tiger Stadium starting in 1935 when the Tigers won 17 straight over a three-year span.
Another impressive footnote to LSU’s recent dominance in Tiger Stadium is the fact that when the lights come on, which they do more times than not, the Tigers tend to have even more success. LSU goes into the Auburn game having won 24 straight Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium, a streak that dates all the way back to the 2002 season.
That year, Alabama posted a 31-0 win over LSU in a nationally-televised ESPN contest. Since that loss to the Crimson Tide, the only time that the Tigers have lost a night game in the venue came in 2005 against Tennessee in a contest that was played on a Monday night due to Hurricane Rita.
The Tigers have a spotless 13-0 record under Miles in Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium, which includes a 3-0 record this year. Most recently, LSU rallied from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat Florida, 28-24, in its last Saturday night outing in Tiger Stadium, which was played before a school-record 92,910 fans.
One reason for LSU’s success at home can be the way in which the Tigers start games in Death Valley. In 18 games under Miles in Tiger Stadium, LSU has surrendered first quarter points to just three teams ? Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. In 18 first quarters of action in the Miles era, LSU has outscored its opposition, 174-17, in Tiger Stadium.
Additionally, since the start of the 2005 season, LSU has trailed at halftime in just two of its 18 games in Tiger Stadium and the Tigers came back to win both, beating Ole Miss in overtime in 2006 followed by the victory over Florida two weeks ago.
Something has to give on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium ? will it be LSU’s 17-game home field winning streak or Auburn’s eight-game SEC road winning streak. The home team in the LSU-Auburn series has won seven straight games, including last year’s 7-3 Auburn win in Jordan-Hare Stadium. And, a total of eight points has been the difference between winning and losing in the last three meetings between the teams.
If history is any indicator, the outcome of Saturday night’s game is sure to be one that will have fans talking about it for years to come.