Epic LSU Football Moments: LSU vs. Georgia 2003 in Tiger Stadium

5/28/2024

Photo By: si.com

Da Boot Sports
5/28/2024
By: Terrill J. Weil

It happened on a muggy Saturday afternoon on September 20, 2003. Year three of the Nick Saban era in Baton Rouge.

92,251 fans packed Tiger Stadium (back then became the largest crowd in Tiger Stadium history), to witness an epic SEC battle between two undefeated foes.

Most, including myself, feel like this is one of the greatest games in LSU football history. It was a memorable day for me as
it was my eight year old son's first ever LSU football game. He also remembers the deafening roar of the Tiger Stadium crowd and the heart stopping finish. We both agree it was one of our favorite father/son moments.

I can't remember a more hyped and electric LSU game day home crowd. I was so impressed at how loud Tiger Stadium stayed throughout the game as the record crowd of 92,000 plus raised the atmosphere to a relentless level. Death Valley was truly alive on that Saturday afternoon. Any LSU fan in attendance that day can confirm that.

“That Georgia game put LSU on the map,” said Matt Mauck, the Tigers’ starting quarterback in 2003 during an interview with SI. “It was our coming-out party.”

Georgia came into Death Valley ranked #7 in the country with a 3-0 overall (1-0 in the SEC) record to face #11 LSU, 3-0 overall (0-0 in SEC play) in a 2:30pm, nationally televised game on CBS.

It was an intense defensive battle for a majority of the contest as both teams struggled to score.

The Bulldogs would get on the board first, taking a 3-0 lead on a 33 yard field goal by Billy Bennett with 6:24 left in the first quarter. Bennett ended up missing three field goals in the game. It was the first time in the senior's career that he missed three field goal attempts in a game. He came into the contest as Georgia's most accurate kicker in school history at 78.75% (63-for-80).

LSU finally put together a scoring drive late in the first half. The Tigers would go 85 yards on six plays, taking 1:58 off of the clock as Shyrone Carey busting an electrifying 21 yard touchdown run right up the middle of the Georgia defense with 3:20 left in the first half. Tiger Stadium erupted as Carey dove into the end zone from three yards out for the score. Ryan Gaudet added the point after to give LSU a 7-3 lead which they took into the halftime break.

The defensive battle continued into the second half until LSU was able to mount another scoring drive, going 51 yards in ten plays before the drive would stall at the Bulldogs' 30 yard line. Gaudet entered the game and drilled a 47 yard field goal to extend LSU's lead to 10-3 with 6:30 left in the third quarter.

The LSU defense played 'bend but don't break' ball all day, except for one play late in game.

With 4:53 left on the clock, Georgia was starting a possession 1st and ten at their own seven yard line. Mark Richt called the right play at the right time. David Greene dropped back to throw into the end zone and found running back Tyson Browning out of the backfield on a screen play with blockers in front. The Bulldogs blocked and executed the play to perfection as Browning raced up the sidelines for a 93 yard touchdown to tie the game at 10-10.

Devery Henderson fielded Billy Bennett's kickoff at the one yard line and made an outstanding return for 48 yards setting up the Tigers with a 1st and ten at their own 49 yard line with 4:16 left in the contest.

On 3rd and four from the Georgia 34 yard line, Matt Mauck rolled out to his left, squared up, set his feet and while under pressure released a perfectly thrown deep pass that a wide open Skyler Green would catch in stride, five yards deep in the north end zone with only 1:22 left on the clock giving the Tigers a 17-10 lead.

The Bulldogs quickly moved down the field and into LSU territory setting up a 1st and ten at the Tigers' 43. David Greene would then fire a pass down the sideline that Corey Webster tipped to himself for an interception at the LSU 22 yard line with 32 seconds left to seal the 17-10 win.

After the celebration in the stands died down, I sat with my son in our seats, exhausted as Tiger Stadium began to empty. My cell phone rang as one of my best friends, Roy buzzed in. It was no surprise as Roy would call me right after every LSU football game. I answered and he said. "Terrill, I believe that was the greatest LSU football game I've ever seen." I answered with my hoarse voice, "I agree."

LSU HEAD COACH NICK SABAN POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES:

“Well you can’t really say about enough about both football teams the way they competed out there. A heavy weight fight. A real street fight. Both teams competed their heart out. It was about a physical a football game as I’ve seen in a long time and I’m proud of the way our players competed in the game. I don’t know if we were a little bit anxious in the beginning of the game. We were a little out of sorts at the start then in the second quarter we started to come around. To compete in the game, to overcome the adversity we had in the first half, to have then have an 85 or 87 yard screen pass when we were playing zone for one of the first times of the day. Then to come right back with the kickoff return and to make the plays to get right back ahead in the game. We told the players that regardless of what happened in the game, the leadership of this team would show what its roots really were. There would be good thing to happen and we would have to stay focused and there would be bad things to happen and we would have to support each other and stay together and go play the next play and I’m proud of the way they competed and did that.
“That was a tough game. Georgia’s a good team. My hat is off to them. But I can’t tell you how proud of all the people who are responsible for allowing us to get the football players that we have here, the way they competed today. I’m just proud that we can just give a great win for our players and all those who support the program. I know how happy it makes them when we have success and it makes me happy that it makes them happy.
“It wasn’t a pretty game for us all the time, but you can’t fault the effort, you can’t fault the competitive spirit, you can’t fault the three or four stops in the red area by our team and you can’t fault the way the offense came back when it had to. There’s obviously some things we can improve on from this game and we’ve got to build on it. We want our players to focus on what we have to do week in and week out. We have no expectations about what we are going to try to accomplish long term, we are worried about the next game that we play. We enjoy this victory for 24 hours and then we need to focus on the next game. Anything else they thing or do is going to be poisonous to how we compete with consistency and we don’t want to do that. So don’t ask me about those kinds of things.”

LSU would go on to play the Bulldogs again in 2003, this time in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta where the Tigers dismantled Georgia, 34-13 before heading to the Sugar Bowl to defeat Oklahoma, 21-14, winning the program's second national championship.

Game Highlights Below

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