SEC Football: LSU Tigers hospitality showing nation what SEC means by 'us"

SEC football is often mocked and ridiculed by those who do not reside within this conference which is filled with sibling love-hate, but this weekend in Baton Rogue everyone will see a display of what SEC supporters mean when they say “us”.

The LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks are playing a football game this weekend. Much like any other weekend in the SEC, filled with rivalries and regional battlegrounds, these two teams aren’t particularly fond of each other.

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No, they don’t play every season, in fact this is one of the more sporadic matchups in the Southeastern Conference. They’ve only met seven times since 1990. Still, football in the south is a serious thing, and anytime you meet an in-conference foe, you take it seeeerusly.

But this meeting, which was originally scheduled to take place at Williams-Brice stadium in Columbia, S.C., will have some special meaning, and should be something fans outside the SEC take notice of, seeeerusly.

Thanks to yet another fall weather catastrophe — namely Hurricane Joaquin — the game could not take place in the flood-ravaged state of South Carolina. But being a mid-season conference game, cancellation and rescheduling were out of the question, so they did the only logical thing possible and moved the game to the visitors venue – Tiger Stadium in Baton Rogue.

While this might seem to put the Gamecocks at a disadvantage (actually, Leonard Fournette already took care of that), it’s not the home-visitor dynamic that matters here. What’s really shining through is good ol’ fashioned southern hospitality…the Tigers inviting the Gamecocks to sit down to a big plate of jambalaya and beignets and some sun-brewed iced tea (so to speak).

While the game will go on and be as competitive as possible, the LSU band, team and coaches wanted to make Steve Spurrier and his team feel as at-home as possible. Little touches like playing the traditional (although sometimes ponderous) track “Sandstorm” during the pregame – something that has become a hallowed tradition in Columbia.

The LSU Tiger band even learned the South Carolina fight song and Alma Mater, so as to play them for the Gamecocks and any South Carolina fans who are attending.

“We want our fans to make them feel at home,” LSU athletic director Joe Alleva told the Shreveport Times. “We will be treating South Carolina as the home team for the most part. We hope we don’t play it a lot, but our band will be playing the South Carolina fight song after they score. And the band will play their alma mater.”

Hat tip to the band, everyone.

Oct 11, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Les Miles looks on against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. LSU Tigers defeated the Florida Gators 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, it’s still going to be Tiger Stadium, and no doubt will be filled with much more purple and gold than garnet and white. It’s still one of the most frightening places to play an away game (even as the home team) but everyone in Baton Rouge is going out of their way to let Carolina know that “hey, football is football, but we’re all behind you.”

Perhaps this is what those in the SEC crow about so often when they talk about conference unity and regional pride. It’s mutual respect, overlaid by generations of animosity and contempt which all get washed away when the sibling finds themselves in trouble.

Little touches like the stadium music, and the band, and the fact that Alleva also plans for the LSU athletic department to make a contribution to the South Carolina flood relief efforts, (not to mention giving South Carolina all gate and concession money from the game minus some expenses) provide a very translucent look into the conference everyone loves to hate so much.

The SEC talks about “we” and “us”, and promotes conference pride to the point of making those observing them to become ill. But actions like those being demonstrated by Louisiana State University and its athletic department are proof that its not just lip-service.

We get it, SEC.

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SEC Football: LSU Tigers hospitality showing nation what SEC means by ‘us’

By Michael Collins | Oct 9, 2015

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