To see a video from ESPN’s College GameDay at LSU, click here.
ESPN’s College GameDay crew traveled to the bayou Saturday for the first time this football season.LSU boasted an 8-2 record in games chosen for GameDay broadcasts before Saturday’s 27-21 loss to No.1 Alabama.The show’s analysts predicted the loss in Saturday’s 9 a.m. broadcast from the LSU golf course’s “old front nine” grass.Host Chris Fowler said he enjoyed the new location because of its proximity to tailgaters.The show usually airs from the LSU Parade Ground, but the spot was already reserved for a military ceremony.Fowler said he expected the ill-will directed toward Alabama coach Nick Saban, who coached the Tigers to the 2003 BCS National Championship.”I understand it, but I don’t agree with it,” he said. “It’s a business choice that he made. He never said anything disrespectful about LSU. He’s talked really fondly about his time here.”But Fowler said he noticed a certain swagger lacking from LSU fans at Saturday’s show.”The people don’t have quite as much confidence in the team after the two losses and giving up all of those points,” he said. “It’s a different vibe … they’re kind of unsure what to expect with being an underdog at home.”Analyst Lee Corso said he expected a “hard hitting” contest with an inspired performance from the LSU defense.Corso said he picked Alabama to win based on the Tide’s quarterback advantage.”LSU has a freshman quarterback [Jarrett Lee] that’s apt to make mistakes,” he said. “It will be a close game, but the Alabama senior leadership will win the game for them.”Analyst Desmond Howard, a former Heisman Trophy winner for Michigan, said he thought the Saban overtones wouldn’t significantly affect the players.”At the beginning, if your adrenaline is at 10 before the game, it may go to 12,” he said. “But at the end of the game, it’s not going to matter. At that point, everything has simmered down, and it’s all about the X’s and 0’s and execution.”Howard, who enjoyed a Friday night meal at Sullivan’s Steakhouse, also said he was puzzled by the strong dislike toward Saban.”I really don’t understand it,” he said. “Coaches come and go. I don’t know why the departure for him was so bitter. Maybe you could tell me, what happened?”ESPN Road Trip, an online show in its first season of production, also visited the LSU campus for the Alabama game. Hosts Jonathan Drubner and Kristen Aldridge travel to college campuses each weekend to explore tailgating traditions and campus hot-spots.Drubner and Aldridge visited The Chimes after senior defensive end Kirston Pittman recommended the restaurant for its Louisiana cuisine.”We tried the boudin balls and got to go back in the kitchen,” Aldridge said.The hosts also visited Bogie’s and Fred’s bars to interview students about their opinions on Saban.”They’re not very happy with him,” Drubner said.—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]