By RHIANNON WEBER

Staff Writer

The last time Tech played football against Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, World War II was in motion.

Registration was postponed a couple of weeks that year due to army maneuvers in the area.

The big game was played Sept. 20, 1941.

Tech was defeated for the 15th time by the Tigers with a final score of 25-0.

So why haven't we played LSU in more than 60 years?

Malcolm Butler, director of athletic media relations, said the LSU administration did not think it was in the best interest to play in-school states with the exception of Tulane.

"LSU thought that if they won, they were supposed to, and if they lost, it might hurt recruitment," Butler said. "A lot has changed for both programs since then."

Butler said LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman made a decision to alternate games with Tech, University of Louisiana at Monroe and University of Louisiana at Lafayette every three years.

"It's hard to call it a true rivalry when we haven't played them in a few decades," Butler said. "It's still going to be an emotional game. If you're a Tech fan, you get tired of hearing LSU this and LSU that. Even though we're the underdogs, this is an opportunity to show people what kind of a football program we have."

Between 1901 and 1941, the Bulldogs growled at the Tigers 16 times, with LSU winning 15 of those games. The only win for Tech came in 1904 with a hometown win of 6-0.

Mickey Slaughter, Tech quarterback from 1959-62 and offensive coordinator from 1967-79, said in-state matches are always a good idea because it sparks interest statewide and generates money that stays within the state regardless of the outcome.

"Fans have anticipated this game for so long," Slaughter said. "It's going to be a heated debate as to which team has the better skills. That debate will be settled on the field."

From a resource standpoint, Slaughter said LSU and Tech obviously do not resemble each other at all.

"LSU holds all the cards. They have more money going toward athletics," Slaughter said. "They are a member of a bigger conference and they have better facilities.

"But when 11 of our Division I-A players face 11 of their Division I-A players, anything can happen. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

The first game between Tech and LSU is set for Saturday in Baton Rouge. The next game has been tentatively set for Sept. 8, 2007.

Lauren Cherry, a student trainer for the Tech football team and a senior family and consumer sciences major, said she is kind of torn when it comes to playing against LSU, but she will definitely be cheering for Tech.

"I always thought I would go to LSU when I was younger," Cherry said. "But it was so big I decided against it. I think we have a chance to play well and it should be a good game."

Cherry said she has no idea why Tech has not played LSU in so long. She said maybe it was because of the Bulldogs' 1-15-0 record against the Tigers.

"We're a fairly decent-sized school," Cherry said. "Just because LSU is bigger doesn't give us an excuse not to play them."