Tonight is the 27th anniversary of the most overrated football win LSU has ever enjoyed.
The Tigers defeated the top-ranked and reigning national champion Florida Gators 28-21 at Tiger Stadium on this night in 1997. Thousands of inebriated students stormed the field and tore down a goalpost.
Kevin Faulk, LSU’s standout running back who would go on to a lenghty career as a teammate of Tom Brady in New England, was on the cover of the October 20 issue of Sports Illustrated. The issue hit newsstands Oct. 16, two days before the Tigers were to host rival Ole Miss.
Five days before LSU beat Florida, Tiger fans flew into a tizzy when it was announced the Ole Miss game would kick off at 11:30 a.m. instead of the usual 7 p.m.
After Arkansas and South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992, the league negotiated a syndicated television package produced by Jefferson Pilot Financial. Every week, “JP” would pick one game to kickoff at 11:30 Central. LSU athletic director Joe Dean and sports information director Herb Vincent begged and pleaded with the SEC not to put LSU home games in the 11:30 slot.
The pleas worked in 1992, ‘93 and ‘94, mostly because LSU was terrible under Curley Hallman. The Tigers appeared on the JP package in those seasons, but all of those games were on the road (1992 and 1994 at Auburn, 1993 at Tennessee, 1993 at Alabama, 1994 at Florida).
When LSU started 3-1 in 1995, its first under Gerry DiNardo, JP picked the Tigers’ game vs. Florida for an 11:30 kickoff. The Tigers lost 28-10, but the GAtors would have won had the game been played at 23:30 (11:30 p.m.). Florida’s “Fun and Gun” was at its peak with Danny Wuerffel, while LSU had no offense to speak of, which led to its defense being overburdened.
LSU had to play a late morning game at home in 1996 vs. Mississippi State. A torrential rain started during halftime and continued throughout the second half.
When the Rebels came to Baton Rouge in 1997, LSU was expected to waltz to another victory. The Tigers defeated the probation-ravaged Rebels like a drum the previous two seasons, 38-9 in 1995 and 39-7 in 1996. Add in LSU’s monumental conquest of the SEC’s monolith at the time, and Tommy Tuberville’s boys were facing a steep climb.
Instead of cowering, Tuberville’s team rose to the challenge and then some, embarrassing LSU 36-21.
From the penthouse to the outhouse in seven days.
Little did anyone know it, but DiNardo started his own downfall after the Ole Miss game by demoting defensive coordinator Carl Reese, who had praise heaped upon him for shutting down the Gators. Reese left at the end of the season and joined Mack Brown at Texas.
History repeated itself the next month.
LSU went to Tuscaloosa and shut out Alabama 27-0, only to come home and lose to 4-5 Notre Dame 24-6 a week later.
The Tigers defeated the Fighting Irish in a rematch in the Independence Bowl.
In 1998, LSU was ranked No. 6 after three wins to open the season.
Then came Champ Bailey and Georgia.
A gut-wrenching 28-27 loss was the beginning of the end for DiNardo.
LSU lost six of the seven games after Georgia and finished 4-7. The Tigers lost eight straight games in 1999, and DiNardo was fired.
Fortunately, the Tigers hired Nick Saban to replace DiNardo.
I hope nobody thinks that win over Florida was one of LSU’s greatest. It wasn’t. Instead, it raised expectations to ridiculous levels, levels DiNardo would never reach.
Foots Prints 