Throwback Thursday: Auburn’s 2003 upset over Tennessee foreshadowed historic 2004

As Auburn and Tennessee get set to clash on Saturday, let’s look back at the classic 2003 meeting in this week’s Throwback Thursday column.

Auburn and Tennessee have played each other since 1900. As one of the oldest rivalries in the SEC, these two have given their fans moments to remember forever. While the Tigers are ranked this season and the Volunteers are not, these roles were practically reversed when the two met in 2003.

Tommy Tuberville was entering his fifth season as the head coach at Auburn who had struggled to compete for an SEC title during his time. Auburn was stacked at running back this year with future top-five picks, Ronnie Brown and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams as well as future NFL star for the Giants, Brandon Jacobs sharing the same backfield. They also had a really good quarterback in Jason Campbell and future pro receivers Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor.

As the season unfolded, Auburn failed to live up to their No. 6 preseason ranking. A 23-0 loss to USC and a 14-point loss to Georgia sent them falling entirely out of the Top 25. The Tigers bounced back with wins over Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky, sitting at 2-2 heading into their home date with Tennessee.

The Vols started the season 4-0 and looked to be on their way to another SEC title. Tennessee was ranked No. 7 and had an NFL secondary with Gibril Wilson, Jabari Greer and Jason Allen shutting down opposing offenses.

Auburn jumped on Tennessee early, with Ronnie Brown scoring the touchdown to put the exclamation mark on an 80-yard drive. Auburn added to their lead in the second quarter with Campbell hitting Obomanu for a 29-yard touchdown. The Volunteers fought back, scoring a touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7 going into halftime.

The Tigers offensive onslaught continued in the second half with Williams scoring a rushing touchdown and Campbell hitting Cole Bennett for a score to make it 28-7.

Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen threw back-to-back touchdowns to cut the lead to seven with just over seven minutes left to give the Vols a chance at tying the game and forcing overtime. Clausen drove the Vols to the Auburn 30-yard, but his next pass was intercepted by future top-10 pick Carlos Rogers to secure the Tigers’ win.

It was Auburn’s first win over Tennessee since 1988.

Auburn would win their next two games to climb back into the rankings but was knocked out once again after a blowout loss to LSU. The Tigers would not be ranked again, but finished the regular season 7-5 and defeated Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl. The following year, Auburn went 13-0, won the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 2 in the final AP poll. To this day, the conversation lingers on about whether that Auburn team should have been in the BCS Championship Game.

Tennessee lost the following week to No. 8 Georgia as well but won out to finish 10-2. The Volunteers faced Clemson in the Peach Bowl but lost 27-14 and finished the season ranked No. 15 in the final AP Top 25.

With Auburn reeling after a tough loss to Mississippi State last week and their SEC title hopes all but dashed, could Tennessee catch the Tigers when they’re down? You can watch the latest installment of the Auburn-Tennessee series at noon on the SEC Network on Saturday.