In an article titled “How Les Miles and LSU built the best home-field advantage in sports,” USA Today takes a look today at “the story behind the true Death Valley” by interviewing former Tiger players and opponents.
“It’s a real working man’s kind of crowd,” Jacob Hester, who played fullback at LSU from 2004-07, tells the newspaper. “You have people from every background and they’re there to watch football and cheer. They’re not there to be seen.”
While Tiger Stadium isn’t the only college football venue in the country with a loud and rowdy reputation, former Tiger defensive end Marcus Spears says there’s something about the bloodlines of those from in and around Baton Rouge that sets it apart.
“All of them Cajuns,” speculates Spears, who played defensive end from 2001-04. “This state, we have New Orleans, we have Baton Rouge, an extension of New Orleans. It’s hospitality, it’s partying, it’s a family reunion every single weekend. It’s just the fabric and the culture in the state of Louisiana that when it’s time to have a good time, we’re gonna go 10 decibels higher than anybody else. We literally know how to party harder and louder than anybody else.”
In the article, Hester also recounts scoring the winning touchdown in what is arguably one of the most famous games played in Tiger Stadium history, in 2007 when No. 1 LSU overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to beat reigning national champion No. 9 Florida. There were a then-record 92,910 fans in attendance.
“The electricity in the stadium that night, I don’t know if it can ever be duplicated,” Hester says. Read the full story.
USA Today also has another story today on LSU’s live mascot, Mike VI, and why he hasn’t attended a single LSU game yet this year.
“He doesn’t care, he’s an animal,” Dr. David Baker, director of the Division of Laboratory Animals at LSU, tells the newspaper. “He doesn’t read his Facebook page, and this might come as a surprise to some people. Or, ‘Oh man I’ve gotta go to the Alabama game.’ He doesn’t know these things. He’s just a tiger.” Read the full story.
