BATON ROUGE, La. --- Louisiana State University defensive end Tyson Jackson was still a high school senior the last time Georgia played at Tiger Stadium, but he remembers the game very well, for it influenced his future.

"That was one of the main reasons I committed to LSU," said Jackson, who made a recruiting visit to LSU during that weekend in September 2003 and watched LSU's dramatic 17-10 win from the sideline.

"After seeing that, I wanted to be part of this program."

Five years later, Jackson is a big part of LSU's defensive front, which will need to play well when No. 9 Georgia (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) takes on the 11th-ranked Tigers (5-1, 3-1) in Death Valley today.

Incidentally, LSU was ranked 11th the last time then-No. 7 Georgia came to Baton Rouge. The Tiger's held a 10-3 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Georgia's Tyson Browning tied the game with a 93-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

"I was expecting a hush from the crowd," Georgia coach Mark Richt recalled. "Usually, when the opposing team does well, the crowd quiets down. All I began to hear was a chant: L-S-U! L-S-U! It got louder and louder and louder. It was the loudest I've ever heard a stadium."

One reason it kept getting louder has to do with what happened next.

With 1:22 remaining, Matt Mauck unleashed a 34-yard pass under heavy pressure and Skyler Green hauled it in for the winning touchdown. The victory turned out to be a crucial one in the Tigers' run to their first BCS national championship.

Last season, Jackson helped LSU to its second BCS title this decade.

The high stakes remain between the two teams with the most wins in the SEC the past five years (LSU with 61, Georgia 57). Both squads still harbor aspirations of playing for a national title in January, despite having lost one game apiece. A second loss, however, could make it tough to win their respective divisions in the SEC, never mind the BCS title.

LSU is in the Western Division, along with unbeaten Alabama (7-0, 4-0). Georgia is in a tight race with Florida (5-1, 3-1) in the Eastern.

"It's an SEC clash that is very meaningful to both teams, that the nation is going to be interested in," Richt said.

"I'm not saying anybody circled a team before the season started, but as we get to this game everybody knows there's lot riding on it and what's riding on it are the things that guys dream about -- winning championships."