Remembering State’s “missing down” LSU game of 1968
Tiger Stadium has always been a difficult place for visiting teams to play, not only because of the large and boisterous crowds, but because of the strange things that seem to happen to visiting teams. Long time Ole Miss fans surely remember 1972 when the Tigers, with the help of the clock operator, miraculously managed to run three plays with ten seconds remaining, the final one a touchdown pass that lifted them to a 17-16 win.
Mississippi State fell victim to the voodoo of Tiger Stadium in 1968. The Bulldogs were winless that year, although they did manage a couple of ties. In spite of the season’s futility, the Bulldogs appeared to be on the brink of upsetting the Tigers and eliminating them from post-season bowl consideration in that next-to-last game of the year.
The Clarion Ledger’s Wayne Thompson recounted the events of the “missing down” incident in his November 17, 1968 article about the game:
"Then came the goof up. The Bulldogs drove from their own 37 to the LSU five and faced a third-and-three situation but the officials ruled it was fourth down – although every play by play in the booth indicated it was third down. Mike Wade was forced to kick for the fielder when the officials wouldn’t change and his 22-yarder was perfect, making it 16-14 (Bulldogs) with five seconds left in the (third) period."
LSU would put together an 87 yard drive on their final possession of the game and escape with a 20-16 victory. But the winning drive was not without controversy, as Thompson reported:
"True enough, the Tigers did drive 87 yards in 13 plays in the final period to cement the victory – but even that one was given impetus when Calvin Harrison’s interception of Mike Hillman’s first pass of the drive was ruled incomplete when the official said he caught it out of bounds. This view from the press box indicated otherwise."
State would remain winless, although the Bulldogs traveled to Oxford two weeks later and managed a 17-17 tie with the Rebels.
Thankfully for Bulldog fans, this year’s game takes place at Davis Wade Stadium, where the Bulldogs are a perfect 7-0 since the newly renovated stadium opened last season and 18-3 over the past three years.