As LSU football enters Week 4 at 3-0, the Tigers and the Lions will battle it out to be named the top cats in Louisiana on Saturday night.
LSU and Southeastern have only met twice before in school history, but that doesn’t mean a rivalry couldn’t be sparked. When the two met most recently in 2018, the Tigers triumphed 31-0.
Southeastern is often regarded as Louisiana’s “little sibling” team to LSU, particularly due to the similarities the two schools share. From the big-cat mascots to the sharing of gold, down to their proximity to each other.
Conner Fairbanks is a sophomore at Southeastern, a Louisiana local originally from Jonesville. He said that although a Lion at heart, he has to root for the Tigers on Saturday night.
“It’s pretty surreal to get to watch my school play the school I’ve lived my whole life cheering for,” Fairbanks said. “In 2018, I watched this same matchup and thought nothing of it. It’s almost hard to cheer against my Lions, but go Tigers!”
This little sibling mentality could potentially light a fire beneath Southeastern’s team and lead them into Death Valley with a chip on their shoulder.
In his weekly press conference, LSU head coach Brian Kelly stated that many players on the Southeastern team will be playing with a sense of vengeance.
Kelly said the Tigers are looking at this week with a sense of urgency because the Lions have players that are very similar to their own. Kelly compared Southeastern’s Kaleb Proctor to LSU’s Bernard Gooden, also mentioning that the Lions are likely excited for this opportunity.
All of this will play into how Kelly approaches the in-state matchup, as it might not be an easy week of play like most fans would assume.
“We have to work on ourselves this week with that sense of urgency and working on the technical part, the tactical part, so we put a great performance together on Saturday,” Kelly said.
Like any other week, Kelly and the Tigers are looking for a win — and not just any win, a comfortable win that looks good to the playoff selection committee. Using these nonconference games to gel as a team is going to be crucial heading into the next several weeks of conference play, and that is exactly what Kelly said will be of focus on Saturday night.
“These guys are still growing and developing,” Kelly said. “I’m bullish on this group. I think they’re going to be really good as we can continue to develop. They’re going to be a good group, but we’ve got some work to do.”
Southeastern may seem like an easy win for LSU, but the Lions will bring everything they’ve got to one of the hardest places to play football in the nation. The homegrown Louisiana boys at Southeastern won’t be taking this matchup lightly.
The state pride is strong in this Lions team. 66 of its 100-player roster are Louisiana natives. Being able to take down the state’s “standard school” is the goal.
For all the marbles, the Tigers take on the Lions at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in Death Valley.
