Football in Baton Rouge Still Separate

LSU and SU should play each other

By Walter Bridges

There may be nothing more important to the city of Baton Rouge on autumn Saturdays than college football. Some fans camp out a whole day before kick off, while others travel for miles to root for their squad. For some fans semi sacred tradition of tailgating often extends back for years. The die hard fans are very dedicated to the team and emotionally fragile. They experience a feeling of euphoria when victory is won and disappointment when defeat is served, something both Louisiana State University (LSU) and Southern University (SU) can attest to.

On one side of town you have the LSU Tigers and the SU Jaguars. Division 1-AA Southern won the South Western Athletic Conference championship game in December 2003. Then about a month later LSU, a Division 1-A school won the Bowl Series Championship game in January 2004. Both schools are in Baton Rouge but have never played each other in football. Southern has only played a 1-A school twice and Tulane was the opponent both times. LSU has never played a 1-A school in Louisiana at football.

Although jaguars and tigers would probably never meet in the wild, it seems only natural that the LSU Tigers and SU Jaguars should meet on the field. Other states such as Florida, Alabama and Tennessee have all found a way for their predominately white colleges to play historically black colleges. Division 1-A Miami (Fla.) played Division 1-AA Florida A&M September 9, 2006. 1-A Troy University of Alabama played 1-AA Alabama State September 2^nd 2006. Even in the South Eastern Conference 1-A Vanderbilt will play 1-AA Tennessee State on September 23, 2006.

So why not SU and LSU?   

One of the main factors that prevent this from happening is money. Many fans feel as if LSU is resorting to old racial politics and does not want to play Southern because they do not want to pay a black college big bucks. I do not think the LSU athletic department resents Southern but I am sure some fans do.

This backwards ideology was published in The Advocate by Scott Rabalais June 21, 2006. Rabalais said that Southern should not look for LSU to bail them out with a big check. He said that Southern should try to play a Bayou Classic at Tiger Stadium if they need extra money. According to Southern athletic director Greg LaFluer Southern football is doing well financially especially with their homes games.  

But the ridiculous rants of Rabalais continued.

“Financial windfall from a game with LSU could be eaten up by big medical bills in the weeks and months after,” Rabalais said. And then he asks what if six players are knocked out of the game?

I am not for sure if his article was an attempt at humor but it was not effective. I do not remember multiple players getting knocked out of competition when LSU played 1-AA Appalachian State last year. Last time I checked LSU and Southern both have big, physical players. The difference between the two is LSU has more tools of recruiting.

The community wants to see this game.

 “If it’s worth playing, yes I would like to see that,” LaFleur said. “But it’s about money. We have to do what is best for Southern.” In order for this game to ever take place, LSU is going to have to pay Southern more then they would a normal 1-AA team because of the surplus of fans Southern would bring in. The stands in Death Valley would actually be packed when compared to the attendance of some of the other non-SEC games. The demand for tickets may surpass the amount of tickets being sold.

With so many fans Jaguar fans in Baton Rouge, the max number of tickets LSU could reserve would be 7,000. Many fans could be left without a ticket. LSU Senior Associate Athletic Director Verge Ausberry said that one of the main reasons LSU has not played any 1-AA schools in Louisiana is because there are too many of them. Ausberry said, “If LSU were to schedule a game with Southern, then LSU would have to also consider all the other Louisiana 1-AA schools.” I am sure many people would love to see LSU clash with other interstate rivals but geographically Southern is the best choice.

 When we do play 1-AA teams, we try to play the higher ranked teams. We told McNeese a few years back that if they were to win their championship, we would try to play them.” Ausberry said.

It would be great for the city of Baton Rouge if both sides could come to the table and work this schedule this game. Southern is coming off a 4-5 record last year and LSU would be heavily favored to win the match up but the game would still be fun to watch and even better to be in the stands for. Pre-game tailgating would be diverse with fans coming from all over Baton Rouge and near by areas to get ready for the historic match up. And needless to say, fans would be treated to a show at halftime. Death Valley has never even heard a band like Southern’s.

Students, alumni, professors and fans at both schools have always wondered what would be the best way to bridge the gap between the two schools and playing this game would be the best start.

Contact Walter at WBridges@b-now.com