Saturday night is going to be rowdy.
Not because it may be the first close game played in Tiger Stadium since the 2010 season. Not even because it’s a matchup of two top-10 teams, including one in LSU that seems to be in a free fall brought on by injuries, drama and putrid offense. And certainly it’s not because it’s that silly “tradition” we call the Gold Game.
Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, fans will witness a meeting of two of the most talented, eccentric and off-the-cuff coaches to ever grace the sidelines of a college football field.
It’s The Hat versus The Visor in the first Southeastern Conference night game in Tiger Stadium since the Tigers faced Mississippi State in 2010.
Whether they’re going on seemingly pointless, long-winded rants at press conferences, taking digs at recruits and conference opponents or dialing up trick plays fit more for your buddy’s NCAA Football 13 game than an SEC showdown, the Mad Hatter and the Ol’ Ball Coach are never short on entertainment.
But as crazy as they are, there’s a method to the madness.
Both have won a national championship with an SEC team. Both have found success in a conference that provides some of the hottest competition in the country season after season. Both have players on their teams that will be selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, and rightfully so.
These aren’t the things that truly make these coaches special, though.
It’s that rare combination — a number of coaches can be consistently successful in a top conference and a number of coaches can be crazy, but it takes a special breed to be both crazy and successful.
That’s why Saturday’s matchup between No. 3 South Carolina and No. 9 LSU is a stellar contest. Nobody knows what’s coming, but everybody knows it’s going be good.
We’ve only seen Miles against Spurrier twice, and both were exciting contests.
In 2008, it took a staunch defensive effort by the Tigers in the second half to sneak out of Columbia, S.C., with a 24-17 win. But that game was nothing compared to the antics of the 2007 meeting of the squads.
In the 2007 game, it took some of that special Les Miles magic for LSU to pull out a victory against the Gamecocks.
Setting up as if they were going to kick a field goal, the Tigers had quarterback Matt Flynn toss the ball over his shoulder to kicker Colt David, who scampered 15 yards to the end zone to put LSU up by 14 points and secure a 28-16 LSU victory.
Since then, fans have become accustomed to Miles’ reputation as a trick play mastermind, rarely seeing a season devoid of deception.
There may not be any fake field goals on Saturday, but the fun thing about the game is that nothing is off-limits.
Both coaches play the role of a madman, but they know what they’re doing.
