LSU’s upset over Ole Miss was catalyzed by a game day operations masterclass and charged with the passion of 102,212 Tiger fans.
After upsetting the No. 9 ranked Rebels on Saturday night, fans stormed the field in a climax of a hard-fought game, for players and fans alike.
In the modern era of Tiger football, LSU has perfected the art of injecting the crowd with energy. There could not have been a better game to display this science of mass induced fervor.
Tiger tradition empowers the fanbase more than anything else. After hours of tailgating, the crowd was warmed up with the familiar rituals of the bands pregame show, the LSU intro and fireworks welcoming the team onto the field.
“The whole student section knew that we came to play,” junior psychology major Kade Cannizaro said. “We were standing up all game, we were yelling all game, I lost my voice for the first time.”
Like an elite coordinator, a multitude of tactics were executed to reenergize the stadium atmosphere before key drives late in the game.
When “Callin’ Baton Rouge” played, it was accompanied by a light show populated through the LED wristbands of every fan. The lyrics of Garth Brooks were echoed by a sold out Tiger Stadium and painted with coordinated flashes of purple and gold.
“I feel like the students took that energy and really ran with it,” fifth year mechanical engineering major Collin Casseri said.
“Swag Surfin” had fans shoulder to shoulder rocking back and forth, and “Set It Off” got thousands jumping up and down. Even putting former LSU pitcher Paul Skenes on the big screen changed the spirits of Death Valley. And of course, the beloved “Neck” brought out the intensity of everyone, especially the student section.
“There was no way the team could’ve lost in this game because the fans were so involved and so loud and so passionate,” Cannizaro said.
Head coach Brian Kelly was quick to credit the game day operations staff with an excellent performance in his post-game presser.
“Incredible atmosphere tonight,” Kelly said. “I thought they made that, the stadium environment, unique and electric and what you want for a game day event.”
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin had his post-game presser overtaken by outside chants of the home crowd.
While the win was close and far from pretty, the LSU fan base showed up on a level not seen so far this season. A fanbase wired with passion and an organization that knows how to access that makes for a hard place to be wearing different colors.
The fans’ next mission: unleash the same energy and electricity when LSU takes on Alabama on Nov. 9.