Lindsey Vaught

By Staff
Auburn looks for help from Crimson Tide this weekend
AUBURN – With all the pieces falling into place on Auburn's three-game winning streak, the Tigers are missing what every coach and player wants – to control their own destiny to hang a championship banner at Jordan Hare Stadium. LSU sits one game ahead in the SEC West.
Last Saturday, as the football team enjoyed a homecoming cakewalk against Louisiana-Monroe by putting up 35 unanswered points in the first half, the 85,000 or so fans started scoreboard watching. More precisely they watched the jumbotron on the scoreboard in the north end zone but they didn't like what they were about to see. With 11 ticks left on the clock LSU trailed Kentucky by three and had the ball at their own 25.
Quarterback Marcus Crandall, who looked ragged two weeks ago at Auburn, connected with Devery Henderson on a 75-yard Hail Mary pass to lift LSU to victory even as Kentucky fans were tearing down goalposts at the other end of the field.
At the post game news conference, Tommy Tuberville didn't want to talk about the play. "I don't want to hear about it," he snapped. "LSU has three tough games left and we have two. If we win out I think there's a pretty good chance we will end up going to Atlanta."
But Auburn will take help anywhere they can find it and this week it may come from Alabama.
The Tide travels to Baton Rouge where a late kickoff (8:00 PM ESPN2) plays to LSU's advantage. Death Valley has been anything but deadly to the Tide who is 7-1 there since 1987.
Who knows how far this Alabama team could go if allowed to play for conference and national championships. What we do know is the Tide can leave their fingerprints all over the SEC West race the next two weeks.
Of course, all this sets up an uneasy situation for Auburn players.
See HELP, B-4