by Alex Restrepo
LSU Sports Information
When the No. 2 LSU Tigers square off against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 7 in the BCS National Championship Game, it will mark 19 years and four months since the two teams have faced each other.
The two high-profile programs have only squared off twice in a Southeastern Conference-Big Ten home-and-home series that took place in 1987 and ?88.
The series featured two highly competitive contests that came down to the wire, one ending in a tie and the other had the Buckeyes overcome a 13-point deficit in the final two minutes to get the victory.
The current Tigers have engendered four fourth-quarter comebacks this season and both of their losses came in triple overtime. With the Tigers’ flare for dramatic endings, their third meeting with the Buckeyes could revive memories from the first two encounters.
Sept. 26, 1987: The Tie
The first game of the series came in Baton Rouge where a capacity crowd of 79,263 filled Tiger Stadium to witness the nationally televised showdown.
The No. 4 Tigers entered as the favorite against the No. 7 Buckeyes. The Tigers’ quarterback at the time, Tommy Hodson, said the team was energized and confident about the top-10 match up.
“I thought before and after the game that we had the better team,” said Hodson. “That was the best team I had played for during my time at LSU. It was a huge game, especially it being a Big Ten school.”
Former LSU linebacker Verge Ausberry, who was a sophomore at the time starting the second game of his career, said the memory that sticks out most in his mind happened prior to the game.
“The first time we faced them, the thing that I remember most is (former Buckeye) Chris Spielman and (former Tiger) Eric Andolsek pushing each other and arguing before the game,” said Ausberry. “That showed you what kind of a game it was going to be.”
Hodson put the Tigers on top early when he hit Rogie Magee on a 24-yard strike to take a 7-0 lead.
The next 25 minutes of the game would be a defensive struggle with the Buckeyes only putting up two field goals and the Tigers kicking one of their own to put the purple and gold ahead, 10-6, at the end of the third quarter.
LSU’s defense shut Ohio State down to begin the fourth quarter after forcing them to go three and out.
Ohio State punted 64 yards to put LSU on its own 37. The very next play, LSU quarterback Mickey Guidry’s pass was intercepted, which would end up being one of three crucial fourth quarter turnovers for the Tigers.
The Buckeyes took the next three minutes to drive down the field and take a 13-10 lead with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tom Tupa to Jay Koch.
The Tigers answered with a 40-yard field goal by David Browndyke to knot the heated contest at 13-all.
LSU’s defense shut Ohio State down with another three and out. The Tigers were now in control with the ball and only 4:41 remaining in the game. Hodson led the Tigers down the field to the Buckeye seven-yard line, but before LSU could take the lead Ohio State’s Greg Rogan intercepted a Hodson pass.
The Tigers put up another three and out to give them 53 seconds to find a way to take the lead. Rogan continued to haunt Hodson as he picked him off again three plays later with 27 seconds remaining.
“We were in shape to win that game but that last interception was a heck of play and forced us (the defense) to stop them,” commented Ausberry.
Ohio State drove down to the LSU 37-yard line, but the Tigers had one more stop in them as LSU’s Karl Dunbar blocked Ohio State’s go-ahead field goal to end the game in a tie.
“We were excited after that (the block) but looking at the scoreboard, you didn’t know how to react seeing a tie,” said Hodson. “We were going in for the touchdown and I threw the interception late in the game. Everybody made plays to keep it at a tie, but it is hard to be excited or happy when you think you should have won the game.”
Sept 24, 1988: Buckeyes Rally Back
A year later, the Tigers and Buckeyes faced each other in Columbus, Ohio. The game did not receive the same national attention as both teams held lower rankings, but the game would carry over the same excitement from the first meeting.
“They (Baton Rouge and Columbus) are both great college football environments,” commented Hodson. “I remember Ohio Stadium was really loud that day. A lot of the Ohio State guys said that it was the loudest they had heard in a long time.”
Browndyke put the Tigers on the board first with a 36-yard field goal. Twenty-two seconds into the second quarter, Ohio State answered with a one-yard run by Carlos Snow putting Ohio State in the lead, 7-3. The Buckeye touchdown marked the first time the Tigers had trailed all season.
Ohio State’s Michael McCray blocked a punt and returned it 23 yard to push Ohio State’s lead to 11 at 14-3.
The Tigers fired back when Hodson hit Tony Moss for a 30-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers added a field goal to make the halftime score 14-13.
After the Buckeyes opened the third quarter with a field goal, LSU went on a 20-3 run to take a convincing 33-20 lead with two minutes to go in the game.
Ausberry, who accounted for 14 tackles in the game, said that looking back on that point in the game the Tigers had “laid back a little bit” and didn’t play as aggressively as they did earlier in the game.
Snow ran for his second score of the game to cut LSU’s lead to 33-27 with 1:56 remaining in the game.
After a muffed punt, LSU’s punter Rene Bourgeois was forced to run out of the end zone, giving Ohio State a safety and the ball.
“That safety changed the whole momentum of the game,” commented Ausberry. “We jumped on top of them and held the momentum for most of the game. We dominated the whole game but that safety changed everything.”
On Ohio State’s final offensive drive, quarterback Greg Frey went three for four, including a 20-yard, game-winning touchdown throw to Bobby Olive with 38 seconds on the clock.
The Ohio State fans stormed the field as the clock ran to zero.
“That was a post route and we felt that when they played three deep, their corners played a little wide,” then-Ohio State coach John Cooper said after the game. “I don’t think I have ever been around a more exciting finish. It was a good example of what happens when you hang tough and don’t give up. It was a hard-hitting ball game. We had a great game plan. LSU is a super team; I haven’t seen many better football teams.”