Who else was at the 1983 Washington game ?

Awesome game and environment. Weather was even fantastic,too, as a cold front had arrive in Baton Rouge earlier that week and at game time it was almost "crisp". This game was originally scheduled to have been in Seattle, but Don James wanted to play a game in Tiger Stadium (not sure if there was a return game at the time in Seattle,which obviously was not played).

Washington came into the game 9th in the country at 2-0 including a dramatic 25-24 win over Michigan ,making a two point conversion with :34 left. They had gone 10-2 in 1982 with a win over Pac 10 champ UCLA and an Aloha Bowl win over Boomer Eisiason and Maryland.

LSU had started off the season #13 but blew a 14-0 lead against #12 Florida State and lost 40-35 after trailing 40-21 early in the fourth quarter.The following week in Houston, LSU was tied 3-3 at halftime with Rice who had lost 14 straight games. LSU eventually wore Rice out captalizing on fumbles in the third to win 24-10.

LSU announced a record crowd of 82,390 which stood unti 2000 when the East Upper Stands were opened. Oddly enough, The Reveille maintained the student section was not full which was strange in that campus police and stadium marshalls were constantly walking up and down the aisles telling students to get out of said aisles and find a seat.Still, no one ever really knew what was so special and unusual about this game as to how over 3,000 more people attended this game than various Alabama, Florida,Georgia, Notre Dame and Tulane games which were hard sellouts,too.

The Huskies actually took the field that night as a slight 2-3 pt favorite.But unbeknownst to anyone LSU played its best and only really good game the entire,underachieving 1983 season. For one night the Tigers put it togethor. Jeff Wickersham threw for three touchdowns and 259 yards on 16 of 27 completions.Dalton Hilliard ran for 122 yards and one td and Garry James had 89 yards. 'Magic Juan' Betanzos kicked two field goals as LSU rolled 40-14.

The Tigers actually got back in the top 20 (didn't call it top 25 until 1989) at 16, but #12 Florida came to Baton Rouge and won a 31-17 that is misleading as the Tigers had a first and 10 at the Gator 20 with a minute left down 24-17. But an interception and immediate Neal Anderson 76 yard run ended that game. LSU would not win an SEC game for the one and only (and hopefully,ever) time and finished 0-6 in the SEC (ninthin the SEC as Vanderbilt also went 0-6) and 4-7 overall.

But for that one night on September 24, LSU and Tiger Stadium were pretty awesome.