Those who know me know that I graduated from law school at LSU. However, my family hails from Oklahoma, and my father is an OU alumni. I was raised on OU football. I had to go to a game with this much connection to me. Because this is a Tech board, I rarely post anything about either school, because by far, my loyalties lie with Tech.
However, because this is the off season, and I had the privilege of attending the Sugar Bowl, I thought maybe some of you would be interested in what I observed.
1. I agree with those who say OU did not belong in the Sugar Bowl. I was at the Big XII championship game, and I watched a video of the game when I got home. OU peaked too early in the season, and definitely did not earn a spot in the Sugar Bowl. That showed up at the LSU game. LSU made some really bad decisions that allowed OU to keep it close, to the point that a few inches on a couple of throws, and the game was tied with two minutes to play. Nevertheless, in my opinion, LSU was clearly a better team that OU, and a USC match-up would have really decided who won the national championship..
2. Jason White should not have won the Heisman. There is no way he is the best athlete in college football. He wasn’t even the best quarterback. LSU had a better quarterback.
3. LSU fans could be extraordinarily loud, to the point of hurting one’s ears. However, I was quite surprised at the noise the OU fans made. The ESPN commentators were discussing after the game what an advantage LSU had in that forum. I don’t think they really did. LSU just had a better team.
4. LSU fans literally made me embarrassed to be a Louisianian. No, I can’t say it was a majority of the fans, but it was a very large and very visible minority that were literally making asses out of themselves. The Ruston paper tried to play it down like it was in “good fun.” It was quite the contrary. Right before the kickoff, the OU fans were doing their “Boomer … Soooner” thing. Some piece of trash bearing LSU colors starts walking from the bottom of the aisle to the top, raising both arms and both middle fingers. The other LSU fans either said nothing or cheered him on. One LSU fan passed out drunk while using the urinal. Another had to be carried off in a gurney, and the paramedics had to place a bag by his mouth to catch the puke. Another group, and when I say group, it was about ten or twelve men, not boys, who spent the entire game standing with their backs to the game, saying the most disgusting and foul things to the OU fans seated behind them. One LSU fan was peeing in the hand-washing trough, and the other LSU fans found that amusing. On at least three occasions, when OU did well, LSU fans threw beer bottles from the upper deck onto the floor of the dome. It is a miracle no one was hurt. Incredibly, the announcer had to explain that throwing beer bottles was not considered good sportsmanship. After the game, the LSU fans who did not get into the game were standing on each side of the exit telling OU fans that they and their teams sucked, and to get the hell out of Louisiana. My wife was legitimately scared for our safety at times.
Quite frankly, it was disgusting, and embarrassing for Louisiana. We certainly fulfilled our reputation as being a backward, uneducated and uncouth people. We simply were not good hosts. Also, I will never take one of my children anywhere near an LSU event.
5. I’ve been to many events in the Superdome, but obviously not one with this many people, in that this was the largest crowd ever to witness a game in the Superdome. I was quite surprised at the efficiency of the building. The lines in the restrooms were moderate at worse. Even my wife was able to get in an out quickly, and women’s restrooms, for “logistical reasons” are usually not very efficient. The food selection was not very good, but even at halftime, the lines at the concession stand were no longer than five minutes. The security seemed good, and efficient. I was timing how long was spent on each person to get through the checkpoint, and it appeared to be about 30 to 40 seconds. In that regard, Louisiana looked pretty good.
All in all, I must say I enjoyed the experience. It was a good game in that OU made a game out of it in the end. Both bands were awesome. The Superdome was comfortable. I would do it again if I had the opportunity, but for the reasons stated earlier, I would not subject my wife to that atmosphere again.