As a former player and die-hard LSU fan, Iâve gotta say the most thrilling and gratifying part of the Tigersâ come-from-behind victory over Ole Miss to me was the emphatic reaffirmation that Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night in the fall is hands down the most magical place in the country for playing big games in big-time football.
I carry with me as one of the most treasured memories of my life the first time (and, really, all succeeding times) I ran out of the chute with all my teammates at the start of my first game in Tiger Stadium. The towering lights all around the perimeter of the field shone down on the fans and the field so brightly that everything beyond the stadium was pitch black, seemingly an endless void, and that field was like the center of the universe.
And when that crowd roared as we thundered onto the most perfectly manicured turtleback natural turf field in the country, the adrenaline rush was such that my feet felt like they werenât even touching the ground as I raced down the sideline jumping up and down, getting ready for battle.
There is certainly no doubt in my mind that the Tiger fans won that game Saturday night. When overtime started, it was abundantly clear that Ole Miss, despite its big-time talent, was not ready for the big-time atmosphere in Death Valley. They were completely discombobulated and were never going to win that game from that point, despite making an unlikely 57-yard field goal to cling to life.
I was just so proud of Death Valley! I promise you the players not only heard the loudest roars they will ever hear, but they also felt the sound waves rolling through their bodies. Fans and teams across the country have long been told about the mystique of Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, and this game just gloriously added to the legend of Death Valley. Geaux Tigers!
RAND DENNIS
San Antonio, Texas
