AUBURN, Ala. -- For a moment, it appeared that LSU had stunned Auburn on a touchdown pass as time expired.
But the apparent winning touchdown was nullified after the play was reviewed and it was determined that the ball was not snapped before the time expired, giving Auburn a most improbable 18-13 victory Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"I was pretty confident that time had already expired," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "I knew it went to zero. It was just a matter of going up to the booth and confirming it."
Said LSU coach Les Miles: "I don't know if I've ever come this close to winning a game and finishing second."
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LSU center Ethan Pocic thought he got the snap off before time expired.
"I don't even know what was going on," Pocic said. "We snapped it and sat back. I knew it had to be a pass, but I had no idea if the clock was running or not or what was going on, but that's football. That's just the way it is."
On the previous play, LSU completed a pass for a first down at the Auburn 2-yard line. The first down would have stopped the clock with one second left until the down marker could be set. But LSU was called for an illegal shift, pushing the ball back to the 15-yard line.
Referee Hubert Owens announced that the clock would start on his motion. The ball was snapped and LSU quarterback Danny Etling scrambled right and bought himself enough time to find D.J. Clark open in the back of the end zone.
Clark caught the ball and LSU stormed off the sidelines thinking it had won the game. But replays clearly showed that the ball was not snapped before the clock hit 0:00.
Then Auburn stormed off the field victoriously as the thunderous roar from the crowd drowned out Owens' words that the play did not count.
Daniel Carlson kicked six field goals, tying a school record, to account for all of Auburn's scoring.
"He's the best kicker in college football," Malzahn said. "I think he confirmed that tonight."
Auburn's offense looked much better than it did a week ago against Texas A&M. The Tigers moved the ball methodically for most of the game, outgaining LSU 388-338 yards in total offense.
But Auburn kept stalling in the red zone. The extra work sure didn't bother Carlson, who has made 29 of his last 30 field-goal attempts and is 53-of-63 for his career.
The victory evened Auburn's record at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC and kept the Tigers from falling into a deep hole.
"Sometimes it's the way you win that really makes a long lasting impression on your team," Malzahn said. "Our guys fought. It's good to win one when the pressure's on and you've got to find a way."
LSU, which began the season as a national championship contender, is also 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC.
"We just have to get to work on Monday," said LSU defensive back Jamal Adams. "We have to throw it behind us. As much as it hurts, we have to bounce back from it."
LSU's Leonard Fournette put up good numbers -- 101 yards on 16 carries -- but some of that was padded by a couple of long runs. It's a far cry from the 228 yards he put on Auburn last season.
Auburn led 9-7 at halftime on the strength of three Carlson field goals.
Replay led to two significant changed calls in the first half. An overturned call gave LSU its first touchdown. The initial ruling was that Foster Moreau was stopped about a yard short after lunging for the end zone. But replay showed the ball broke the plane of the goal-line before Moreau tucked it in to avoid fumbling. That gave LSU a 7-3 lead.
The second came in the second quarter after Auburn linebacker Tre Williams sacked Etling. No flag was thrown, but after reviewing the play, officials determined that Williams hit Etling with the crown of his helmet. That turned a third-and-9 at the Auburn 39 to first-and-10 at the 24. But Auburn's defense sacked Etling again and escaped when LSU missed a field goal attempt.
NOTES: Auburn coach Gus Malzahn made a couple of changes for better luck. One, he traded his signature visor for a white ball cap (although he did keep the vest and sleeves look). He did not call the offensive plays for only the second time in his four-plus seasons as a college head coach. ... Al Del Greco (1982 vs. Kentucky) is the only other Auburn kicker to make six field goals in a game. ... LSU has scored three total touchdowns in its last three visits to Jordan-Hare Stadium. ... Auburn DE Carl Lawson recorded two sacks to raise his career total to 13.5.
