LSU’s Upset Bid Is Intercepted : SEC: Auburn returns three errant passes for touchdowns in last 13 minutes of 30-26 victory.

AUBURN, Ala. —  They were all there, but no one could believe what they had just seen.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” Auburn Coach Terry Bowden kept repeating.

Auburn, given up for dead early in the fourth quarter, scored three touchdowns on interception returns in the final 13 minutes Saturday, the last by Brian Robinson with 1:55 to play, and stunned Louisiana State, 30-26.

The victory extended 11th-ranked Auburn’s winning streak to 14 games, longest in the nation.

None have been more improbable.

“I’ve never been in a game like that,” Bowden said. “I’ve never seen one.”

LSU was shellshocked after watching Auburn’s defense score four touchdowns.

“Probably the most disappointed I’ve ever been in my coaching career is right now,” said LSU Coach Curley Hallman. “The players are hurting bad.”

Auburn gained only 16 yards and managed only one first down in the second half, and that was wiped out by a fumble two plays later. Bowden was forced to remove his starting quarterback in a vain attempt to generate some offense.

“We couldn’t get a first down. We couldn’t get a thing going,” Bowden said.

When Andre Lafleur kicked a 39-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to give LSU a 23-9 lead, the winning streak appeared to be over.

Then, inexplicably, LSU kept throwing the ball when it appeared all that was needed was to run out the clock. On third and eight, Jamie Howard’s pass down the middle was picked off by strong safety Ken Alvis, who raced 42 yards to close the gap to 23-16.

“We needed something to give the team a spark,” Alvis said. “We were the ones today that were able to step up and make a big play when we needed it.”

A little more than a minute later, Fred Smith stepped in front of another pass by Howard and brought the ball 32 yards down the left sidelines, diving the last three yards to tie the score 23-23.

Howard directed a 13-play, 70-yard drive to set up Lafleur’s third field goal, a 22-yarder with 5:26 to play that put LSU ahead, 26-23. Auburn failed to move the ball and was forced to punt with less than four minutes remaining.

Then came the play that Howard will remember for a lifetime. On third and four at the Auburn 32, with 2:06 left and Auburn out of timeouts, the junior attempted to hit Brett Bech on a slant route across the middle. The ball popped in the air and Robinson picked it off at the 41 and raced untouched down the sideline.