The history between LSU and Tulane has been well documented throughout the years.The teams have met a total of 96 times — the last of which almost derailed the Tigers’ national title hopes last season.LSU trailed Tulane, 10-9, at halftime in the Louisiana Superdome before rallying and bringing back a 34-9 win to Baton Rouge.Meeting No. 97 in the series will take place Saturday at 7 p.m. in Tiger Stadium.The in-state rivalry goes back to LSU’s inaugural game Nov. 25, 1893, which Tulane won, 34-0.Chemistry professor Charles E. Coates was LSU’s coach, and Tulane coach T.L. Bayne shuttled back and forth between the campuses during the week to help coach the LSU team, according to Peter Finney’s book “The Fighting Tigers 1893-1993: One Hundred Years of LSU Football.”Finney also recounted a fight that broke out between the schools after Tulane’s 14-0 win in 1938. The student body presidents put together a “rectangular flag of purple and blue cloth bearing the Louisiana seal” two years after the melee as a way to unite the schools. Finney said it became known as “the rag” in 1942 and the winning school took possession of it until next year’s game.”The student bodies of each school decided a way to mend the fences was to have a common goal, which was the rag,” said LSU Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent. “It was passed for many years until it was lost [in 1982].”A couple of different rumors surround the disappearance of the rag, including a fire in the Tulane University Center. But Vincent said no one truly knows where the original rag went.A new rag was created in 2001, according to an LSU News Service archive. It is currently in the Jack and Priscilla Andonie Museum near the Lod Cook Alumni Center. The winner of Saturday’s game will be awarded the rag until next season.Both teams are coming off difficult losses last weekend. The Tigers lost to Georgia, 52-38, and Tulane fell to Rice, 42-17.But Tulane’s biggest lost may not have come on the scoreboard. Junior running back Andre Anderson went down for the season with a right shoulder injury. Anderson is eighth in the nation and first in Conference USA with 123.43 rushing yards per game.Tulane coach Bob Toledo said losing Anderson is a crushing blow to the Green Wave.”It was a sick feeling because … he’s worked extremely hard to get to this position after playing behind Matt Forte last year,” Toledo said. “He’s got great talent and is a leader of our football team. Now we’ll be playing two freshmen at tailback.”Tulane also has a question mark at the quarterback position, though that uncertainty is somewhat self-imposed.Toledo isn’t announcing whether sophomore Kevin Moore or redshirt freshman Joe Kemp will start at quarterback until Saturday. But LSU junior linebacker Perry Riley said despite Tulane’s question marks on offense, he’s expecting the best from the Green Wave.”We’re not taking the week off because we’re playing Tulane,” Riley said. “We’re going to play them like they’re the No. 1 team in the nation.”LSU and Tulane resumed their annual matchup when they faced off in Tiger Stadium on Sept. 23, 2006. LSU won handily, 49-7, behind Charles Scott’s 101 rushing yards and a 17-for-23, 198-yard passing performance by former quarterback JaMarcus Russell.Last year’s contest in the Superdome was tighter, at least in the first half. Tulane took a 9-7 lead in the second quarter, but LSU scored the next 27 points and won, 34-9.LSU senior defensive end Kirston Pittman said he knows the Green Wave will bring their best effort Saturday.”It’s going to be another challenge, another tough game,” Pittman said. “Tulane played us really close [last year], and they’re a great ballclub. Both of their quarterbacks are really talented, they’ve got a good offensive line and their running backs are really good.”This is Tulane’s second matchup against a Southeastern Conference opponent this season. The Green Wave played Alabama in their season opener. They lost 20-6, but held the Crimson Tide offense to 172 total yards and no touchdowns.LSU senior linebacker Darry Beckwith said Tulane is a threat in both the passing game and the running game.”They held Alabama to no offensive touchdowns, and they gave us a great game last year,” Beckwith said. “They’re one of the best play-action teams we’re going to play all year. They do a great job and have a great multiplicity of mixing up pass and run.” With the rivalry aside, LSU coach Les Miles said he is preparing his team for a hard-fought game against Tulane.”We understand they will play us with every effort, and frankly we look forward to that,” Miles said. “We want to play a great game, and certainly Tulane will be competition enough to do so.”—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]