Chance of rain? Never!
Mother Nature spared Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, as the Tigers romped to an easy 63-14 win over McNeese.
LSU avoided major injuries, and five different players rushed for six touchdowns. Through five games the Tigers’ offense has rushed for 19 touchdowns, nine more than LSU’s rushing attack scored last season. That’s the Lane Kiffin effect, folks.
This was LSU’s final non-conference matchup, an ideal game to bring young children to because of smaller crowds and less pressure to stay until the game concluded.
I took my own advice and brought my young child to LSU. Experiencing a game day with a young child is much different than taking in a game with other adults. Here’s my LSU game day experience with a toddler in tow.
3 p.m. – Arrive on campus and discover the parking lot you planned to park in is closed because of impending weather. I check my email from LSU I previously missed and reroute the family to the alternate parking lot we have been assigned to use.
3:15 – Begin walking toward Mike the Tiger’s habitat to try and catch a glimpse of the majestic beast.
3:17 – Walk back to the car because I forgot to grab the football for us to throw before the game.
3:25 – Arrive at Mike’s cage and catch a brief look at him before my toddler becomes more enthralled with the statue version of Mike outside of the cage.
3:35 – Scout out a spot along Victory Hill to secure a suitable place to watch the band, team, and cheerleaders march down later that afternoon. Here’s the first major difference between attending an LSU game with or without a small child. In 30-plus years of attending LSU football games, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve watched the band march down Victory Hill pregame. The pregame affair is not that fascinating to me, but to a child, it’s pretty cool.
4:00 – After waiting patiently at our spot for nearly half an hour, enjoying snacks and taking in the scene, my toddler is getting antsy. My wife takes him to a grassy area nearby to throw the football I initially forgot in the car. I’m left to hold our spot, fending off husky preteens wreaking of body odor and over-zealous older women haphazardly filming the scene for who-knows-what reason (Seriously, what do people do with all these poorly shot videos on their phones?).
4:30 – The Victory Hill festivities begin, and my child is thrilled as the cheerleaders, football team, the Mardi Gras Mike float, and two different bands march past us.
4:50 – The Victory Hill festivities conclude, and we walk past the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to visit some relatives tailgating near the tennis courts. On our way, we run into the Golden Band from Tigerland again, as they make their way into the PMAC. My child, an avid fan of marching bands, is very pleased.
5:55 – We enter the stadium, and my toddler immediately asks about purchasing a tiger tail or foam purple and gold tiger claw. My wife says we need to find our seats first.
6:10 – With some concessions in-hand – popcorn, peanuts, and bottles of water – we reach our seats. I cannot tell if my child is more fascinated with the players warming up on the field, the piped in music, or the box of popcorn.
6:45 – Nearing kickoff, my child once again asks about the purple and gold foam tiger claw. My wife gives me a look that says, It’s a special day, I think we should get one. My child and I quickly trek down to the bottom of Tiger Stadium, and thankfully the foam tiger claw he desires is for sale. Grinning ear-to-ear with his new foam claw, my son asks to take a picture with the 15-foot-tall Mike the Tiger statue near the gift shop. My toddler accidentally calls him “Milton” the Tiger. When I try to share the correct name, my child thinks the mistake is hilarious and proceeds to refer to LSU’s mascot as “Milton the Tiger” for the remainder of the evening. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.
7:10 – Back at our seats, my wife recaps what happened on the first drive while my toddler delightedly shows off the new foam claw to my wife and all those around us.
8:00 – Our toddler needs to use the bathroom, which is always a gamble in big stadiums. Thankfully, we make it through dry and unscathed.
8:30 – Toddler is getting restless and sleepy. It’s been a long day. We head for the exit and listen to the rest of the game on the radio driving home.
My favorite play
One of the beauties of non-conference games when LSU is clearly a class above a school in talent and athleticism is that occasionally you witness an incredible or unusual play that likely would not occur during Southeastern Conference games. My favorite example is Odell Beckham Jr. returning a missed field goal in 2013 against Alabama-Birmingham.
This play wasn’t quite as electric, but certainly memorable. Freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds took a direct snap from the 1-yard line and waltzed into the end zone for a score. Who doesn’t love a big man touchdown?
Looking ahead
LSU travels to Kentucky this week to battle in the Bluegrass State. The Wildcats (4-1) are coming off a thrilling overtime win over South Carolina in Columbia. For fans, this is one of the best SEC away games to attend because of the trifecta of bourbon, horse racing, and football.
Contact Andrew at sports@journalservicesllc.com