If you are headed to Athens, Ga. for the 115th edition of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, and want to sit lower level between the 30's, consult with former Auburn quarterback Ben Leard.

Leard delivered seating upgrades to a strong contingent of visiting Auburn faithful in 1999, without dropping a dime. He did so by absolutely torching the Bulldog defense in an unforgettable first half Bulldog incineration that sent thousands of Red and Black faithful pouring for the exits by the third quarter as the scoreboard read Auburn 38, Georgia 0.

Twelve years later, the Tigers find themselves in a spot reminiscent of 1999 as they travel to Athens as double digit underdogs against the SEC East leading and BCS 15th ranked Bulldogs. This week, Auburn fans have been recalling the shocking 1999 game between the hedges, which is simultaneously proof of its special place in Auburn lore and of the striking parallels to this week's contest.

Just back from a November whitetail hunt in Kansas this week, Ben Leard was in an upbeat mood, and more than happy to stir the memories of the south's oldest rivalry, and recall his own journey from sleepy Hartwell, Ga. to Auburn University in the late '90s.

"Georgia is a huge game for Auburn players from the Peach State," said Leard. "You have a lot of players that leave that state to come play for Auburn University. When they go back and play against Georgia, it is a rite of passage, a validation point, because when you win that game, you prove to everyone that you made the right decision."

This dynamic was indoctrinated into Leard in a pregame locker room scene featuring legendary Auburn and NFL linebacker Takeo Spikes, also a Georgia boy, and the last man you would want in your face about anything.

"I remember in 1997 when we played there," said Leard, "I was a redshirt freshman, and we went to Athens to play them. Takeo Spikes was a true junior, and he walked into the defensive huddle in the locker room and crawled them for everything they were worth to get their full attention."

"Guys," Spikes yelled rabidly to his defensive mates, "I'm demanding that I get everything you have to give me, because this game tonight means everything to me. If you're willing to do that for me, and lay it on the line for me every damn play, I promise you, I will do exactly the same thing when we play Bama."

The Tigers did not disappoint Takeo, winning that '97 road trip in a 45-34 thriller.

As this season's rebuilding process has taken AU fans on the football equivalent of a bumpy country dirt road ride, Auburn will be led into battle in Athens by Leroy, Alabama's Clint Moseley - a boy with as much country in him as Ben Leard.

"My Dad was a farmer in Hurtsboro, Alabama before we moved to Hartwell, Georgia where both my parents graduated from high school. I played my football at Hart County high school, a 3A school in a small town right on the edge of the state, bordering Clemson and South Carolina, about 40 miles northeast of Athens. So I grew up between Georgia and Clemson."

Leard was coached through his Junior season by Hart County head coach, Bobby Pate, who had previously won a national championship at West Georgia, and by the late Bill Bonds his senior year.

As he developed his passing skills, Leard's college football role model was Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier.

"Living in that area, I grew up a Georgia fan," says Leard, "but I was an even bigger Eric Zeier fan. I admired his grit, toughness and determination as a quarterback. I likened my style to him, because I was not going to back down from anyone as a quarterback."

Leard visited the local trampoline factory and used scrap materials to create a throwing net by fastening the trampoline material around the goal posts. Leard would throw at the netting for hours every day to improve his accuracy.

His recruitment heated up his junior season in large part due to the visibility generated by two teammates - a safety, Brian Wilkins (Georgia Tech), and tight end, Kenya Fouch (Georgia Tech) - who were highly recruited his sophomore year.

Auburn got in the picture with Leard right after his sophomore year after then Auburn assistant (and current Georgia assistant) Rodney Garner was shown film of Leard by Coach Bobby Pate. Garner liked what he saw in Leard, and followed him from that point.

"Through the process of Coach Garner following me," recalls Leard, "my confidence grew that I could compete at the college level, and could earn a scholarship offer in the SEC. Prior to that time, I was almost clueless as to whether I had the ability to play at an SEC level."

Heading into his senior season, Leard found himself being wooed by the blue bloods of late '90s college football, Tennessee, Miami, Georgia, Auburn, and numerous other programs. Like many blue chip athletes, Leard's desire to play in a driving distance that his parents could manage to make games was a factor. Throughout his playing days including Auburn, Leard's mother, father, & 3 brothers only missed a handful of Ben's games. Leard ruled out both Miami and Tennessee, and like so many Peach state recruits, narrowed the choice to Auburn and Georgia, the feuding brothers of SEC football.

Leard's father never stuck his nose into Ben's recruiting process, except to keep a watchful eye that his son was being treated fairly and that his academics were not suffering.

Two pivotal events would form branches on Leard's decision tree as he considered whether he would become an Auburn man or a Dog. The events centered around the hiring of Jim Donnan as Georgia head coach, and an invitation from Garner to Leard for an official visit to a little game we call the Iron Bowl. It was the familiar story of one blown recruiting tactic, and one brilliant one.

Coach Garner called Leard and invited him to the Iron Bowl in 1995. "Hey, Ben," said Garner, "we want you to come to this game. We are going to offer you, it's done. I don't know if you've ever heard of the Iron Bowl, but it's a big game."

The young Leard would show his small town naivete, telling Garner that he couldn't make the Iron Bowl as he was already committed to going to another game.

At the family supper table that night, Leard's father asked what Garner's call was about.

"He was inviting me to some game called the Iron Bowl," said Leard.

Mr. Leard repeated the question in disbelief, and got the same answer. "Here's what we're going to do," said the elder Leard. "You're gonna make two phone calls. You call the other coach and tell him you're not visiting, and then you call Coach Garner and tell him you're coming to the Iron Bowl!"

Ben, his then girlfriend, and his father made their first trip to an Iron Bowl, and saw Auburn hang on to win the 1995 Iron Bowl in Jordan-Hare, and it undoubtedly sealed Leard's romance with the Loveliest Village.

As his recruitment by Georgia had evolved over two years, Leard had grown fond of head coach Ray Goff, but Goff was fired and the Dogs plucked Jim Donnan out of Marshall as the new head coach.

"I didn't like Jim Donnan," said Leard, "but I loved Ray Goff. The way Goff recruited me explained why he got players like Garrison Hearst, Eric Zeier, and Matt Stinchcomb. You could really warm up to him, and I appreciated his sincerity.

"My official visit to Georgia was like Georgia's version of a Big Cat Weekend, and included visits from Quincy Carter, Marcus Stroud, Michael Greer, and others. That was Jim Donnan's first big day on campus. I was the still being recruited hard by Donnan, and (current Georgia offensive coordinator) Mike Bobo was my player host. That Sunday morning, Donnan and Steve Greer sat me down on that Sunday morning and put the screws to me."

It was the classic "hot box" method some coaches still use, the recruiting equivalent of used car sales with the offer being "only good today".

"You're the only player we're gonna offer at quarterback," said Donnan. "From what we understand, you've always wanted to come to Georgia. I've got to have your commitment today."

Donnan miscalculated the country boy from Hartwell, as Leard found the ultimatum arrogant for his taste.

When Leard candidly advised Donnan that he was down to Georgia or Auburn, but wanted to make an official to Auburn before deciding, Donnan played hardball.

"If you walk out this door," said Donnan, "I can't tell you that I'll have a scholarship to offer you after today."

Leard showed moxy beyond his 18 years, responding, "If you are telling me that now, it tells me all I need to know."

And so the stage was set for the 1999 game, and Leard's first shot at Donnan's Bulldogs as the Auburn starting quarterback. In the pregame show, Donnan would spout that he saw no reason that his Dogs couldn't handle Auburn pretty easily.

Leard had to beat some odds to even get the start for the '99 game in Athens, having suffered injuries early in the season, including a concussion in the Arkansas game.

During the week of preparation for Georgia, Leard was interviewed, and when asked if he would play, replied, "I don't care what concussion test I pass or fail, they'll have to wheel me out of there on a stretcher, because I'm going to play against Georgia."

Dr. Goodlett offered no fight, giving Leard medical clearance to play.

"I had a point to prove against Georgia. The entire week of practice, we were on point. Each practice was better than the day before."

Leard confirms the accuracy of the growing legend of the coin toss trash talk before the '99 game.

"Yes, it happened," said Leard. "What was so weird about the coin toss situation is that it was me, Reggie Worthy, Quentin Reese, and Haven Fields as captains. Georgia's captains were Richard Seymour, Orantes Grant, Michael Greer, and Quincy Carter. But Quincy and I were at opposite ends, so we were speaking to each other across all the captains and officials. Georgia wore their helmets during the coin toss, which we took as a sign of disrespect. We had our helmets under our arms. Georgia won the toss, and Quincy Carter elected to defer, saying, "Give it to number 14. We're gonna see what 14 can do with it."

Leard, having arrived in Athens with a purpose for this game and ready for a street fight, shot back at Carter, "Fine, you give us the ball. But when you get it back, I guarantee you you'll be down 7 points. The officials trotted off, with Quincy still jawing, so we exchanged a few expletives as we headed off, and from that point, it was on. Our whole team was in the zone and fired up. The entire first half, we could do no wrong, playing as strong a half of total team football as you could ask in all phases."

Leard hit Clifton Robinson on a designed pivot route at the goal line to go up 7-0. He followed that with a designed wheel route to Markeith Cooper to the 10, and again hit Cooper for the TD to go up 14-0. With the Dogs on their heels, Leard would then torch them with a check-off at the line when Georgia showed blitz.

After a huge 30 yard run by tailback Heath Evans to get Auburn out of its own 10 yard line, he hit Ronnie Daniels on a 59 yard fade route in which Daniels embarrassed the defender with a stiff arm for a 21-0 AU lead. Georgia was like a fighter who was cut badly, and Leard was working the cut now. From the Tiger 22, Leard then checked off again when he saw Donnan inexplicably going with press man coverage again. Daniels abused the defender, Corey Robinson, racing 72 yards to put Auburn up 28-0. The Tigers would head to the locker room up 31-0.

And so it was that the Dog fans started scurrying for the exits, as Auburn owned the Sanford Stadium that November 13, 1999 night. In the fourth quarter, Leard recalls Coach Tubs threatening to bench him.

"In the fourth quarter, Coach Tubs wanted to grind it out," said Leard. "Georgia kept running the same blitz, over and over. I told him, Coach, I can throw for 600 yards. But he told me, 'Son, we are running the clock out, if you throw one more time I'm gonna bench you. Do not throw the ball one more time, period.'

"Later on, with Georgia showing blitz, I remember looking to the sidelines, ready to make an audible, and seeing Coach Mazzone yelling 'No! NO!'"

That night, in the first half alone, Leard tied the single game passing touchdown record, joining Auburn greats Pat Sullivan, Reggie Slack, Dameyune Craig, and Loren Carter with four TD's. Against an ancient rival like Georgia, that's tall cotton indeed.

Despite the furor among Georgia fans as to the nasty play that marked the 2010 Auburn whipping of Georgia, the series is chocked full of memorable games, joyful wins for both sides, and bitter defeats. The memories form a century aged fine wine of the deep south's oldest rivalry, as there is no shortcut in time to calling a rivalry "great".

Legendary Georgia Bulldog voice, Larry Munson, told Jim Fyffe prophetically in a pregame interview for the '99 game, "Jim, if Auburn can throw it a lick, Georgia will be in trouble."

Leard himself grew up with the boyhood dream of one day hearing Munson call his name in a game. But as color analyst Charlie Trotman would relate after Daniels' second TD, "Ben has always wanted Larry Munson to call his name, and I know Larry's over there muttering his name by now!"

Give 'em hell between the hedges, Tigers, and then you can capitalize the word Cotton (as in Bowl), which would be a tall accomplishment indeed!