LSU taking over TV network
Published 6:49 am Wednesday, July 20, 2016
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Remain calm. Don’t attempt to adjust your TV set.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">This, apparently, is a friendly takeover, the latest stunt by the SEC Network wherein LSU athletics is allowed to occupy the network for a full 24 hours beginning at 11 p.m. tonight.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">As you already guessed, yes, it’s a slow programming time of the year for the network — football season isn’t nearly as close as last week’s Media Days made it seem —and they’ve got to fill the air time some whichaway.</span>
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<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">So every school is getting its own day (and, for that matter, night) with free run of the network’s programming.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Here’s a helpful viewing guide:</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">11 p.m. (Wednesday) — Football, Oregon vs. LSU (2011): LSU’s defensive ends almost decapitated various Ducks in Jerry World, and it was vintage, mischievous Honey Badger. If they show it, the postgame, onfield interview with Oregon coach Chip Kelly is priceless. Spoiler alert: Jarrett Lee played the whole game at quarterback, unlike in the eventual BCS.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">2:30 a.m. — Basketball, Loyoyla-Marymount at LSU (1990): The craziest basketball game ever played in the Assembly Center. Dale Brown could have slowed the game down, but decided to let the folks have a show. If you grab something out of the fridge, you’ll miss 25-30 points. Spoiler alert: LSU gives up 141 points — the most in school history — and lives to tell about it.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">4:30 a.m. — Softball, Oklahoma vs LSU (2015): Watching a 1-0 softball game can actually be exciting, but why wouldn’t they choose this year’s 14-10 LSU victory over No. 1-ranked Florida that had just about everything? Spoiler alert: A home run wins this one.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">6:30 a.m. — Gymnastics, Alabama at LSU (2016): In a sport where decimal points are not only tolerated but encouraged, LSU won by 1.7 points, which in gymnastics qualifies as a full-blown rout. Watch for head coach D-D Breaux, one of LSU’s most entertaining coaches. Spoiler alert: LSU went on to finish second in the NCAA championship, the highest finish in school history. Oklahoma won it, but the Tigers still finished ahead of third-place Alabama in the rematch, although Jarrett Lee still didn’t play.</span>
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<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">8 a.m. — Men’s basketball, Georgia at LSU (2015): Evidently ESPN’s crack researchers can do only so much, which doesn’t include a highlight from this past season. But this was an NCAA tournament team which most assumed was just waiting on Ben Simmons before really taking college basketball by the throat the following year. Anyway, no need to tune in at straight-up 8. You’re looking at two overtimes to decide this baby. Spoiler alert: LSU overcame a 9-point deficit in the final 2:21 of regulation to force the overtime.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">10 a.m. — Football, Texas A&amp;M at LSU (1986). The Bill Arnsparger era at LSU. Jackie</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Sherrill was coaching Texas A&M and Arnsparger didn’t much care for him. One thing that will jump out at you is how much bigger the shoulder pads were back then. Spoiler alert: My good buddy Kevin Guidry, the noted Calcasieu Parish Police Juror, gets a key interception in the game, with which he could have s</span><span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">cored if hadn’t gotten so excited he ran</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">out of bounds.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">Noon — Football, Florida at LSU (2007): Youngsters will need to remember that, before ending up at South Carolina — and long before Nick Saban ended up at Alabama — Steve Spurrier was the evil incarnate Darth Visor for LSU fans. Florida was undefeated and the defending national champions when LSU pulled off the upset with a bend-but-don’t-break defensive</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">strategy that frustrated the quick-strike Gators. Spoiler alert: LSU fans still argue whether it was more fun watching the Tigers</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">celebrate or watching Spurrier fling his famous visor into the ground after the Gators’ four interceptions (on 57 pass attempts).</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">2 p.m. — Baseball, Arkansas at LSU (2016): LSU trailed 9-1 early in the game was pretty well flailing around even while chipping away to make what looked like a token run at the lead. Then this cute, little ’possum wandered out into leftfield … by game’s end a legend was born. Spoiler alert:</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">By the ninth inning they were already playing replays of the ’possum on the video screen — leading head coach Paul Mainieri to think another rodent had wandered out there — and the first, budding chants of Rally ’Possum began. It would be the next day before the first T-shirts appeared.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">4 p.m. — Football, Auburn at LSU (2015): Not really much drama for an LSU-Auburn game, so not sure why it got picked for this gala. Spoiler alert: Maybe because it’s basically a Leonard Fournette highlight reel, including probably his best single run of the season when he tossed an Auburn defender over his shoulder en route to the end zone. But no use sticking around until the end. Fournette finished with 228 yards on just 19 carries even though he didn’t play in the fourth quarter.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">6 p.m. — Football BCS championship game, LSU vs. Ohio State (2008). It doesn’t look good for LSU early, don’t get discouraged. LSU puts on a clinic from late in the first quarter until midway through the third. Wide receiver Early Doucet’s Cajun-juke two-step to avoid most of the Buckeye secondary still might be the best play. Spoiler alert: The BCS confetti is all purple and gold at the end.</span>
<span class="R~sep~ACopyListing">8 p.m. — Baseball, College World Series Championship vs. Miami (1996): Just past the 20-year annivesary of the Walk-off. Fortunately You Tube came to the rescue after you wore out that old VCR tape watching the ending over and over. But often lost in the shuffle of the most famous home run in college baseball history is the fact that this would have been a great, great baseball game even if Warren Morris had struck out. If you’ve got some time to kill, it might be fun to see how they got to the bottom of the ninth, man on third, two outs … Spoiler alert: The good guy who hadn’t hit a home run all year blasts one in the end. But you probably already knew that.</span>
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