[jwplayer AWBAMRau]
I can’t even lie, y’all. I’m stressing about football already. It’s a dreadful feeling that I’m elated to finally experience again. Here’s the continuation of my countdown to kickoff.
Number 6: Auburn vs LSU 2004
I was 10 when this game occurred and I had no idea how football was supposed to work. All I knew was that my dad was going down to the game and told me to look for him on TV. I’d already tried to locate my dad once before when he went down to Talladega and was unsuccessful in my efforts. I was pretty skeptical that I would be able to locate my father at an Auburn football game, but with all of my ‘Where’s Waldo?’ and ‘I Spy’ expertise I felt pretty confident about giving it a shot.
I think my dad telling me to look for him on the TV was secretly his was of getting me to watch the game because it worked. I was fixated on the screen wondering when the cameras would pan to the crowd. I gave up on this probably five minutes after I began watching, and then I became obsessed over learning the game.
At the time my sister’s bedroom had been somewhat converted into a play room (she was at school in Southern Illinois, shoutout to the Salukis) and her room was so cool because it had a TV in it. My mom was downstairs watching her own shows, so anytime the crowd in Jordan Hare went nuts I ran to the top of the stairwell and started shouting random questions.
“MOM, SOME GUY ON THE OTHER TEAM JUST RAN INSIDE OF A MAGIC RECTANGLE AND EARNED 6 TOKENS WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?”
“Shea, that’s a touchdown.”
“MOM THIS GUY ON THE OTHER TEAM TRIED KICKING THE BALL LIKE A NEW YORK CITY ROCKETTE AND NOW THE ENTIRE STADIUM IS GOING BANANAS! WHAT’S GOING ON!?”
“Shea, he has to kick the football in between those two poles after his team scores a touchdown. He kicked the ball horribly and it didn’t go in which is a good thing for Auburn.”
“MOMMM NOW ONE OF OUR GUYS KICKED THE BALL LIKE A ROCKETTE AND WE GOT THREE POINTS!”
“Great, that’s a field goal.”
You can imagine how the rest of these questions went, but she answered all of them. By the beginning of the fourth quarter I was yearning for an Auburn touchdown. I knew that meant that a guy in a blue uniform had to run into the “magic rectangle” which I now refer to as the end zone.
Ronnie Brown had an amazing 20-yard run and I just knew Auburn was going to win the game once the Tigers converted on 4th and 12 with a 14 yard catch by Courtney Taylor.
I wasn’t aware that Anthony Mix fumbled the ball on the play prior to Auburn’s game winning touchdown. I was too busy actively learning the game and all I was looking for was a touchdown. Thank you, Courtney Taylor for giving us this.
My dad called us when the game was over. He was hoarse. I definitely didn’t see him on TV but if there’s one thing we all know about Jordan Hare, it’s that every voice is amplified. I excitedly told him about how I watched the entire game and that I’d learned what touchdowns, field goals, punts, and first downs were.
One month later my dad took me to Auburn to catch the Tigers’ game against Arkansas. We’d been to several Auburn games before, but this one was special. I came to the realization when we were walking to Toomer’s Corner after that game that I was no longer just an Auburn fan, I was head-over-heels in love with everything about Auburn.
And to think, it all began 16 years ago when Auburn defeated LSU.
