After 20,000 fans stormed the field to celebrate LSU’s comeback victory over Ole Miss, I’m not surprised that readers of The Daily Reveille took umbrage with an opinion column by Trey Labat.
He took the other side of a popular argument and was unfairly criticized for it. But this isn’t your average basement blogger, rather a three-year Reveille veteran who earned the title of Sports Editor. As a Tigers guru who has forgotten more LSU football than I know, he has the right to state his opinion. I’m exercising my right to disagree.
Labat’s initial premise is easy to comprehend: It’s hypocritical for the same student section that checks out after halftime to “fight traffic” one week to storm the Tiger Stadium field the next. His righteous indignation is understandable, but Labat paints the scene with a wide brush.
“Act like you’ve been there before” is a practical guideline for staying humble in victorious circumstances, but have we really been here before? There has been a recent role reversal in the Ole Miss rivalry since Hugh Freeze turned his team from a punch line into a formidable foe. For the first time since 2003, LSU shared space in the polls with Ole Miss when they faced off in Baton Rouge. The Nick Saban era was still a year away when the Rebels were last ranked higher than LSU in 1999.
I would actually advise Ole Miss to give up the act. Their fans have stormed the field three times in as many years, which resulted in a $50,000 fine when students crashed the scene this season. The only reason we’re still talking about their latest stunt was the fact that two goalposts rooted in the grass Saturday morning were in an apartment Saturday night.
Granted, I understand how storming the field isn’t the Tiger way. Since Les Miles took the helm in 2005, LSU is 24-23 when trailing after three quarters. That means the Tigers have a better chance of winning even when they’re losing. The Tigers have dialed up comebacks against Top 10 teams in five straight seasons.
But an event of this magnitude can’t be planned, and this spectacle certainly wasn’t. The circumstances for storming the field are very precise; for starters, you have to win the game. Nobody would bother if LSU beat New Mexico State 10-7 or replicated their 52-3 steamrolling of Ole Miss from 2011. Storming the field involves a full four-quarter investment and the adrenaline rush of a last-minute comeback.
To close, Labat lambasted the “selfish act” as a distraction from a great game. With a clear head, it is a bit selfish for a fan to think he or she has a right to invade the field like that. Peer pressure was likely the more prominent vice than selfishness. But good luck finding a student who weighed right and wrong before jumping two fences.
Maybe someone could ask Trey Quinn if storming the field was selfish. The wide-eyed freshman was looking for his friends before meeting a few hundred new ones that sent him crowd surfing.
When I touched down on Tiger Stadium grass, I was quickly met by the Louisiana gumbo of humanity. I watched as someone shook a pint of Michelob Ultra out of his sleeve and went bottoms up at the 10-yard line. An 8-year-old boy sat atop his father’s shoulders, taking in the whole scene with awe. This was more than a buzzed mosh pit or the “drunk idiots” Labat calls out.
But plenty of idiots crossed a line by willingly defacing the field. According to The Advocate, grounds crew members had to replace nine patches of sod, including five at midfield. Is a ticket not enough to remember the game? Your photos will tell the story long after you forget. There is no other word for vandalism like that beside selfish.
Regardless, the stars aligned Saturday for a meaningful outpouring of support. It was support deeply felt by La’El Collins, who returned for his senior season for big games like this one. By Miles, who put on a brave face and coped with his mother’s death just a night before. And most importantly, by the hundreds of recruits watching back home with a decision to make.

Labat is right on one major point, however – fans shouldn’t rush the field should LSU topple Alabama. We’ve all had our fun, and this rapidly improving team won’t be an underdog much longer. The Tigers will be expected to win, especially against top competition, and those victories don’t merit another cheap gimmick.
It will also be the final home game for a handful of players. Let them remember it on their own terms.
Right or wrong, the fans who stormed the field will never forget that night. But let’s enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience and celebrate a win over Alabama from the stands.