For 20 seniors, Saturday’s game against Texas A&M was the final time they set foot in Tiger Stadium in an LSU uniform.
“I’m proud of our 20 seniors,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “It was their last game in Tiger Stadium and it meant a lot to them. Very emotional week for those guys. The Tiger Walk, the fans were great, just proud of the way we played.
For players like outside linebacker Corey Thompson, it took six years. Thompson was a part of the 2012 recruiting class as a safety and was expected to offset the blow of losing Louisiana native Landon Collins to Alabama.
Thompson lost two seasons due to injury during his career but has rebounded in 2017. The sixth-year senior has 109 career tackles and is tied for second on the team this season with six sacks, including one against Texas A&M.
The two players ahead of Thompson? Fifth-year senior defensive linemen Christian LaCouture and Greg Gilmore.
LaCouture and Gilmore have helped anchor LSU’s defensive line this season, and both played well enough to be NFL draft picks.
“I play for mom, my family,” Gilmore said after LSU’s win over Tennessee. “I got a little girl on the way with a girlfriend of six years. I’m trying to get my name called in the draft.”
Gilmore is one of the seniors that had to wait his turn to make an impact on the field. He came to LSU as a top 100 recruit, but struggled to find his way onto the field his first three years.
Senior running back Darrel Williams, like Gilmore, was passed up and had to fight his way back into a spot during his senior year. Williams responded by dropping weight in the offseason and racking up 1,124 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns.
“Unbelievable,” Orgeron said on Gilmore and Williams’ careers at LSU. “Journeymen. Waited their turn, unselfish players. Being around those guys everyday, you love to be around those guys. Yes sir, no sir; what else you need me to do. You can’t work them hard enough. Team players. They never complained about not playing, not doing anything, and we sell on going skill development daily. You can see it in those two players.”
Another player who has stood out on offense and special teams is senior receiver Russell Gage. Gage has been LSU’s most versatile player this season, accounting for 487 yards, four touchdowns on offense and 11 tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams.
“We had our backs against the wall,” Gage said. “We got pushed down on the mat, but we got up off of the mat and fought. That’s the seniors, I commend them. Not just me, Danny, John, DJ, all of them man, and we just stuck together.”
Gage, who originally came to LSU as defensive back, was buried at the bottom of the depth chart at receiver until the middle of his junior year and is now one of the team’s most valuable weapons.
“Never stop working, never stop,” Gage said. “Hard work pays off.”
 

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Christa Moran

LSU senior running back Darrel Williams (28) runs the ball during the Tigers’ 45-21 victory against Texas A&M on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Tiger Stadium.