re: "Saturday's Ole Miss at LSU game could be a classic ... for those who stay "

Both the team and the crowd have the ability to influence one-another. The team can make big plays, whipping the crowd into a frenzy while the crowd can sometimes whip up into a frenzy and WILL a team to a big play. The relationship between the crowd and the team can be summarized by the quote about the Ark of the Covenant "It bears those who carry it".

A great example would be 2007 Florida, where the crowd clearly greatly influenced the team vs 2009 Florida, where despite a capacity crowd, those in attendance seemed listless and defeated before the game even started. The stadium was more than half empty with 10 minutes left with LSU only down by 2 scores.

How many times during the 2010 season, did we see LSU on the cusp of seeing the game get out of hand and out of reach, only for the band to play "Neck", the crowd come to life, and the team respond in a huge way?

The crowd is, as the Aggies say, the 12th man.