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[Editor’s note: This article is part of the series “Talking with Takeo,” in which Auburn Wire looks back at Tigers legend Takeo Spikes’ early life, playing under Friday night lights, his recruitment, years at Auburn, favorite college moments, the Bryan Harsin hire, being passed on by the Falcons, his NFL career and much more. Come back each Wednesday for another installment. The series is part of a partnership between our colleagues at Campus Lore and the NFLPA.]
Ever have a live caged tiger growl just a couple of feet from you? Takeo Spikes has. That was one of the surprising moments of his life when he started to take the field at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge prior to the 1995 matchup between Auburn and LSU.
“You walk out of the locker room, you see this damn big a– tiger LSU got right by our locker room and I’m thinking, ‘Lord, I’m about to be eaten before the game starts,'” Spikes told Auburn Wire while admitting, “intimidation factor, great move.”
The Bayou Bengals got the best of the Tigers on that September night in 1995, but two years later, the two teams faced off in what turned out to be one of the greatest games in the series.
“Listen, man, that game was epic,” Spikes said.
The weather was hot and humid on Sept. 20, 1997, and the Tigers were facing another intimidating factor in LSU running back Cecil “The Diesel” Collins. Auburn was ranked No. 12 in the nation, and LSU was No. 10.
“We get out on the field and I’m like, ‘Who in the hell is this dude Cecil ‘The Diesel’ Collins?'” Spikes said. “He ran for near 200 yards. LSU ran for 400 yards that night, and they still lost.”
The exact figures are 232 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Collins and 377 net yards for LSU that day. The Tigers needed more than that to counter struggling quarterback Herb Tyler, who completed just 6-of-21 passes for 115 yards and a score while being intercepted twice, including once by Spikes.
The most crucial moment for the linebacker came on the final play as LSU lined up for a 64-yard, potential game-tying field goal just 30 seconds after Auburn running back Rusty Williams capped off one of the most clutch drives of the season with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers up, 31-28.
“I remember having an interception, 15 tackles and blocked the kick at the end of the game to sustain the win against LSU,” Spikes said.
That game certainly has entered the lore of great Auburn-LSU matchups, especially in the minds of Spikes and other players that were on the field that night. You can watch a complete replay of the game below.
“One of the best games, and I even talked to even a lot of the guys who played at LSU at the time, Booger McFarland, Ryan Clark. So talking to those guys man, we talk about that game because that experience is on another level. Like one of the best places that you ever can play in.”
Auburn made Tiger Stadium its home away from home again two years later in a 41-7 blowout of host LSU. Tommy Tuberville, coaches and Auburn players lit cigars and smoked them on the field to celebrate. Auburn has yet to win in Baton Rouge since that night, Sept. 18, 1999.
Playing in environments like that inspired Spikes, and for him, road games were a blast.
“I personally liked playing on the road because I feed it off for the crowd and everything,” he said.
Spikes and Auburn shut up the crowd of more than 80,000 that night in Tiger Stadium in a game no one will soon forget.