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After 15 Years, LSU-Auburn Game Still An Earthshaking Experience It is the stuff of legend. A packed Tiger Stadium. A physical, defensive game between two Southeastern conference powerhouse football teams. A score of Auburn-6, LSU-0, late in the fourth quarter. With national rankings at stake and a national audience watching on ESPN, LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson threw a touchdown pass to tailback Eddie Fuller on fourth down with 1:47 remaining in the game. The eruption of the crowd registered as an earthquake on the seismograph located in LSU’s Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex. Today, Hodson and Fuller say that after 15 years, the 1988 LSU-Auburn game is still an earthshaking experience. In fact, both say the famous play is even bigger now than it was then, since it has taken on a life of its own as part of LSU folklore. Their Reactions to the “Quake” Fuller said he first began to realize how amazing the “earthquake” game was when he saw it featured in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in the early 1990s. “I was going through this Ripley’s museum in Niagara Falls, and I looked up and there it was!” he laughed. Unsung Heroes of the Game The earthquake game is one of those magical moments in LSU history that fans and the media relive year after year. And although Hodson and Fuller are the two names most often mentioned in connection with the game, they were quick to give credit to some of the game’s unsung heroes. “The defense,” they both said in unison. Indeed, the defense held Auburn — which was ranked number four in the nation at the time — to only two field goals in the game. And after LSU scored the touchdown and kicked the extra point, Auburn’s offense got the ball back with 1:41 on the clock. The LSU defense preserved the 7-6 win. Hodson and Fuller also gave credit to other members of the offense, especially tight end Willie Williams, who made the crucial first down that kept the earthquake drive alive. They also mentioned tailback Alvin Lee and tight end Ronnie Haliburton, who both made some key plays during the drive, and the offensive line, which included Ruffin Rodrigue, Jr., Robert Packnett, Todd Coutee, and the late Ralph Norwood. And it was place kicker David Browndyke who kicked the all-important extra point. “Time Stood Still” Every Tiger fan who was at the earthquake game has some memory of that famous touchdown and the ensuing celebration. There are stories of downed light fixtures in the North Stadium dormitory, which was still open to students at the time; strangers hugging each other in the stands after the touchdown; and the incredible noise of the crowd. But Hodson and Fuller have their own memories of the game, and apparently, fans weren’t the only ones holding their breath on that fourth-down play.
“Time stood still,” Fuller said. “I saw Tommy throw the ball and it looked like a defender might have tipped it. It took forever for the ball to get to me, and it seemed like I almost dropped it because I had waited so long.” “The defender didn’t tip it,” Hodson said with a smile. “But his hands were right there.” Fuller said the famous play wasn’t designed for him to get the ball, but he was glad the pass came to him. “It helped me to atone for the two plays that I didn’t make.” Fuller was referring to the first-down play on that series, when he caught the ball just out of bounds at the back of the end zone, and to the catch he dropped in the end zone on the previous series of downs. “He didn’t drop it,” Hodson clarified. “It was just a really tough ball to catch.” Fuller shook his head and laughed. “I really didn’t think I was going to get the ball back.” The Roar of the Crowd “It was kind of surreal,” Fuller said. “Our defense kept us in the game, and so did our fans. When we had the ball, it would get quiet, but when Auburn had the ball, the fans would really make it difficult for their offense to hear — especially after we scored the touchdown. If it hadn’t been for the crowd, there might have been a different outcome.” But Hodson said, like most nights in Tiger Stadium, he was so focused on the game that he didn’t really notice the crowd noise at first, even when it was loud enough to make the earth move. “When you score on a play like that, at first, you focus on your teammates. It’s a celebration of the 11 guys who made it happen,” Hodson said. “As you’re walking off the field, then you can appreciate the crowd.” Auburn Remembers It, Too LSU players and fans aren’t the only ones who remember the game with emotion. Undoubtedly, Auburn fans cringe every time they see or hear about that game. But it especially baffled Auburn’s players. “Auburn’s defense was stacked that year, and a lot of those guys went on to play in the NFL,” Fuller said. “Now and then, I’d run into them (while playing in the NFL), and we would always talk about that game. They remember it, too.” Fuller said the Auburn defense was extremely tough. “I got beat up all night, and so did Tommy. So did all the guys on our team,” he said. “The Auburn players I’ve talked to said they kept thinking they had us. They would hit us hard, but we’d keep getting up, and they’d keep looking at each other, wondering how we were bouncing back up. We realized right away that Auburn’s defense was as good as everybody said they were. But the longer we hung around in the game without getting annihilated, the more it gave us hope.” In particular, Fuller remembers a conversation in 1995 with Lawyer Tillman, who was a receiver for Auburn in 1988. “Lawyer said he couldn’t figure out why Auburn’s offense couldn’t do more,” Fuller said. “But we had a defense that would bend but not break.” “I guess the football gods were with us that night,” he said. Surprised Fans, Stunned Geologists
When LSU fans learned that their reaction registered on a seismograph, they were pleasantly surprised. But LSU geologists were downright stunned. Donald Stevenson, who worked for the Louisiana Geological Survey in 1988 and was in charge of LSU's seismic program, was the first to discover the seismograph reading. He went to the Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex the day after the game to change the recording charts in the seismic lab, and he noticed the large signal from Saturday night. When he realized the signal coincided with the touchdown, he labeled the seismogram and posted it in the building for all to see. "I knew it would be of interest to LSU fans after the game. What really amazes me is the interest that seismogram continues to generate so many years later." The seismogram also caught the eye of Riley Milner, research associate with the Louisiana Geological Survey, on Monday morning. "It was a total surprise. We never expected the seismograph to pick up the ground shaking from a football game. It was a solid register of jubilation in the stadium." What Made the Earth Move? One question LSU fans have been debating for the past 15 years is whether it was the crowd noise or the simultaneous jumping up and down of more than 80,000 people that registered on the seismograph. According to LSU geology professor Jeffrey Nunn, it was probably the jumping that did it. “A seismograph measures ground motion, so the jumping up and down would be more likely,” Nunn said. “A cheering crowd would cause a sound wave in the air. For a sound wave to register on a seismograph, the air has to actually make the ground move.” He paused. “That does happen with sonic booms, so I guess a crowd could cheer loudly enough ...” Juan Lorenzo, associate professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, agrees that it was the stomping of the crowd that registered. He said the simultaneous jumping of the crowd probably caused a vibration that produced a low-frequency sound wave that traveled through the upper layers of the Earth. Lorenzo said that although there are seismographs set up all over the country, he has never heard of another football game registering on one. “It’s unusual,” he said. “It was a significant blot on the seismogram.” Lorenzo is so fascinated by the incident that he brought geologic equipment into last season’s LSU-Alabama game to take decibel and vibration readings. He hopes to go back to Tiger Stadium in 2003 and do more recordings. He even has a plan to set up LSU “seismeauxgraphs” at high schools around the state to take measurements for a live Web cast. He hopes the project will get more students interested in geology. Their Greatest Memories of LSU
Surprisingly, when asked about their fondest memories at LSU, neither Hodson nor Fuller mentioned their accomplishments on the football field. “My greatest memories are of Broussard Hall (which was then the athletic dormitory) and the camaraderie with all the guys,” Hodson said. “There is a common bond among all LSU players that is amazing, even between players from different eras. That’s the greatest part of playing football for LSU.” “My greatest accomplishment at LSU is graduating,” Fuller said. “When I got drafted by the Buffalo Bills, I promised my mom I would come back to LSU and finish my degree.” Fuller said he intended to enroll for the spring semester of 1991 after his first professional football season ended. But instead, his team went to the Super Bowl, which meant his pro season didn’t wrap up until LSU’s spring semester was well under way. In fact, that happened for four years in a row, as the Bills and Fuller competed in four straight Super Bowls from 1991-1994. Not a bad reason for postponing his promise to his mom. The only real drawback, Fuller said, is that the Bills lost all four Super Bowls. After his time with the Bills, Fuller played for the Carolina Panthers during the team’s inaugural season in 1995. He completed his degree — and his promise to his mother — in 1997. What They’re Doing Now
Today, Fuller lives in Baton Rouge and works as a special events coordinator for LSU’s Tiger Athletic Foundation. He and his wife, Tressa, have been married for seven years, and have a daughter, RaeDiance, who is five years old. Hodson graduated from LSU in 1990 and played for the New England Patriots from 1990-1992. After brief stints with the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys, he played for the New Orleans Saints in 1995 and 1996. Today, he lives in Baton Rouge, where he is a partner in Linsco/Private Ledger, an independent investment firm. He and his wife, Andy, have been married for 11 years and have twin daughters named Catherine and Christina, who are eight years old. Both Hodson and Fuller agreed that one of the best things about the earthquake game being shown year after year is that their children get to see it. Also, they are forever linked with one of LSU’s greatest moments. “Now that I’m back at LSU, I relive it practically every day,” Fuller said. Written by Kristine Calongne | LSU Office of University Relations
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“Initially,
I didn’t believe it,” Fuller recalled of first hearing
that the crowd noise registered on the seismograph. “I think
it took a couple of years for it to sink in. It never dawned on
me how big that play was here until years later, when I came back
to LSU.”
Hodson
said he remembers opening LSU’s student newspaper, 
Both
agreed it was probably the most physical game they’d ever
played; a classic defensive battle that had Hodson scrambling most
of the night.
