ESPN.com recently released their article highlighting the 150 greatest games in college football’s 150-year history.
As a panel of 150 selected members of the football industry made their lists, they tried their best to avoid recency bias considering only seven of the top 30 games selected had taken place in the past 30 years.
LSU appears a total of six times on the list, including a placement at number nine.
Taking the ninth spot on ESPN’s list is the Oct. 31st game in 1959 as No. 1 LSU took on No. 3 Ole Miss in one of the most memorable games in LSU football history.
Billy Cannon, the only Heisman Trophy winner in LSU history, fielded a punt at his own 11 yard line late.
Cannon proceeded to return the punt 89 yards for a score to give LSU the lead in the fourth quarter.
In the final seconds of the game, fourth-and-goal on the LSU 1-yard line, Ole Miss quarterback Doug Elmore ran left hoping for a score. He was stopped by Warren Raab and Cannon to give LSU the win.
Coming in at the 85th spot on this list is the 1988 game between unranked LSU and No. 4 Auburn.
Another low scoring game had LSU Tigers beating the Auburn Tigers, 7-6 as LSU scored on a fourth-down pass from Tommy Hodson to Eddie Fuller with only two minutes remaining in what is now known as the “Earthquake Game.”
LSU’s victory over Auburn broke Auburn’s nine-game unbeaten record in the SEC as both teams finished 6-1 in the conference.
The next great LSU game comes in at number 113 as the No. 16 Tigers beat the Kentucky Wildcats in a game that is still shown on jumbotrons at LSU games to this day.
LSU beat Kentucky 33-30 in a game labeled the “Bluegrass Miracle.”
In the final seconds of the game, the UK fans were already ready to tear down the goalposts.
LSU’s prayers had been answered as LSU quarterback Marcus Randall lobbed the ball downfield and a Kentucky defender deflected the ball in the air, falling into wide receiver Devery Henderson’s hands for a 74-yard touchdown.
With no time left on the clock, LSU took home the miraculous win, and Kentucky head coach Guy Morriss went home in defeat and drenched after a premature Gatorade shower from his team.
The final three LSU games come in at No. 136, 137 and 138 in succession.
Although, No. 136 was a 2007 loss against Arkansas as the No. 1 Tigers fell to the Razorbacks in triple overtime 50-48.
Even with this loss, LSU went on the recover their loss in the SEC title game and then beat Ohio State to claim a BCS national championship win.
Numbers 137 and 138 were victories over rivals as No. 1 LSU beat No. 2 Alabama and No. 9 Florida in 2011 and 2007, respectively.
LSU’s victory over Alabama was a 9-6 win in overtime as both defenses dominated the game.
LSU’s victory over Florida was a 28-24 win as the Tigers trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter to a Tim Tebow lead Gators team. LSU converted two fourth-down plays on the winning drive to give Les Miles and the Tigers the win.
We might see another game deserving of being added to this list on Saturday as No. 1 LSU takes on No. 2 Alabama.
Looks to be a game both teams will never forget.
LSU makes six appearances on ESPN’s greatest games in college football’s 150-year anniversary list
November 4, 2019
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