The third time’s the charm — at least LSU hopes so.
The Tigers will attempt to exorcise their 2012 road trip demons in their first-ever Southeastern Conference clash with Texas A&M on Saturday in College Station, Texas.
Being outscored 24-18, coughing up five turnovers and posting a 1-1 record in its first two road games this season isn’t good enough for LSU junior safety Craig Loston, who attributed LSU’s road performance to mental errors.
“We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot and put ourselves in a hole,” Loston said. “If we don’t do that, we’ll be fine.”
For the Tigers to cut down their mental errors Saturday, they will first have to contend with one of the most hostile environments in college football — The 12th Man.
According to Texas A&M, the tradition of The 12th Man started in 1922 when former Aggie head coach Dana Bible called a reserve player, E. King Gill, who was not dressing for the game, from the stands.
Gill suited up and stood with the team for the rest of the game. Although he never saw the field in that game, the symbol of the team’s fans always at the ready to help their Aggies stuck.
The tradition’s legend grew in the 1980s when former A&M head coach Jackie Sherrill started The 12th Man kickoff team comprised of regular students selected through open tryouts.
If any team is prepared for The 12th Man, it should be LSU, as its Tiger Stadium home is often considered one of the loudest places to play.
For Loston, who grew up just 45 minutes from College Station and was committed to A&M in high school, Saturday’s game is a homecoming of sorts.
Loston said he is well-acquainted with The 12th Man and has high expectations for Saturday’s atmosphere.
“I’m expecting it to be just how it is [at LSU],” Loston said. “It might not be louder, but I’ve been there, and it does get loud. They do a lot of things like the rocking back and forth, and it’s just a great stadium to be at.”
Junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger said he hopes A&M fans aren’t morning people and Saturday’s 11 a.m. kickoff removes their influence from the game.
“Hopefully the crowd will be kind of out of it so early in the morning,” Mettenberger said. “We’re looking at the early game as an advantage for us.”
If kickoff was any earlier, the Tigers might have a problem, but 11 a.m. should be plenty of time for the Tigers to prepare, Miles said.
On the field, LSU will have to contend with a potent Aggie offense led by freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Texas A&M is averaging 47 points per game and Manziel, as the Aggies’ leading rusher and passer, has individually accounted for more than half of the team’s total yardage.
Though A&M opponents have failed to limit Manziel this season, LSU has the advantage of being perhaps the fastest defense he will have faced this season, Miles added.
“Hopefully we will use a style of pressure that’s most effective,” Miles said. “At times it’s going to be coverage and keeping him in the pocket, and other times, hopefully we can get to him.”
With injuries still plaguing the Tigers, LSU will continue to rely on inexperienced players.
Last Saturday against South Carolina, performances from freshmen Vadal Alexander, Trai Turner and Jeremy Hill anchored the Tigers’ victory, but it remains to be seen if they can duplicate that success on the road.
Junior safety Eric Reid said he is confident that now halfway through the season, the young LSU players are no longer wide-eyed on SEC road trips.
“They’ve developed and matured, so they know what we mean when we say it’s a business trip,” Reid said. “You don’t go to these cities to sight see or to enjoy the stadium. You go to play football.”
