The University of Arizona’s pregame celebration at midfield Saturday may have done a bit more than irk LSU before its 45-3 thrashing of the Wildcats. It brought back memories of the 2001 game against the University of Auburn when Auburn gathered at the 50-yard line for a pregame stomping celebration on the “Eye of the Tiger.” Auburn’s motivational gathering merited it a pregame 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and ended with a 27-14 loss to LSU. Five years removed from the 2001 incident, LSU players still say they remember the act and cannot understand why teams continue today to motivate themselves in that fashion. “When I think about it, I feel like if guys have got to do something like that to motivate themselves, they’re in big trouble,” said LSU senior wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. “Because when you do that to an opponent, all that does is stir up emotions.” LSU junior offensive guard Will Arnold said there are times when he recollects Auburn’s past actions, and the memories put him on edge. “If I think about it, it kind of fires me up a little bit,” Arnold said. “But it’s not something I go out and necessarily think about because some teams are going to do it, and some are not. But if they do it, we know we can pay them back for it.” LSU senior free safety LaRon Landry said he cannot understand why teams use that form of taunting as motivation because it simply gives the home team more drive to win. “That’s very disrespectful of a team to come in and stomp on our eye,” Landry said. “That’s really hurtful for us and just makes us more angry.” LSU coach Les Miles said the Tigers’ warm-up routine before the game is scripted and only allows for them to gather together near their tunnel. “I don’t really know how those things occur,” Miles said of teams jumping on opponents’ emblems. “I don’t know if it was by direction or if it was by spontaneous team feel; I have no idea.” Despite his confusion, Miles said his team will never be put in the position to gather at midfield before a game. “I can only tell you that that’s not something that we would enjoy,” Miles said. “The field of play is one where you take the score at 0-0, and everything’s equal.” Bowe, who identified Auburn as LSU’s biggest rival, said LSU’s play on the field will speak for how each player feels about another team. “We got out there and just perform like it’s a battle,” Bowe said. “If they come here and disrespect us, we’re going to go out there and play hard and not try to disrespect them but try to beat them pretty bad.” Landry said his teammates’ character would not allow for them to exhibit any disrespect toward an opponent. “We have a lot of great character about our team,” Landry said. “We respect other people’s property just like we respect ours, and that’s something LSU definitely would not do, and coach Miles wouldn’t ever let that happen.”
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