re: What was so great about the 79 USC vs. LSU game

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Cholly Mac was still talking about this game on his death bed - see It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium

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Yes, John Ed Bradley wrote It Never Rains in Tiger stadium, in 2008 I think, making that Loss the centerpiece of his book.

Before that, it was rarely mentioned.

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What was so great about the 79 USC vs. LSU game

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Have you ever watched the game?

I was there...

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Of course, in those days, TD.com consisted of 4 tin cans connected by chicken wire.

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TD.com is still held together by "Chicken" wire isn't it?

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the students weren't such overwhelming spoiled brats

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B.S. We sure were.

The students are the only thing that separate TS from any other SEC stadium on game day.

What you're missing is the RESPECT. In that day the media hype was still Big 10, Pac 10, etc. Despite some NC's , the SEC was considered second tier. The exposure was just not as great. A few years earlier when we played at Notre Dame (1970) some jerk in green said to me "We didn't know you {ya'll} were that good"...it was a 3-0 loss that I recall as one of the bes I ever saw. The next year I went to Wis-con-sin, and the treatment was ever so rude. "LS_who" on their program cover...straight from Madison High, no doubt.

I remember a guy from Beaver Falls, Pa making a statement to media back in the day as to their preferred treatment of East/North/West teams vs down home. His was in reference to La. Tech being able to win in those conferences.

So when we went toe to toe with one of THE national powers it sent a signal.

Oneother great thing is we still had fans there, not somebody's wife who needed nachos and 30,000 whatsits in Hollister tee shirts strolling and texting. Just MHO

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A lot more die hard LSU fans in the stands back then. LSUAD/TAF have pretty much priced many of them out. Back then TS wasn't filled with such a high percentage of "See and be seen" Candy A's and those with the infamous Corporate tickets that could care less about L.S.U.. Not to mention the students weren't such overwhelming spoiled brats with a massive senses of entitlement.

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It seems like the student section was a lot bigger then. I seem to remember that it wrapped all the way around the north end zone and up to about the 30 yard line. It was one of (if not the) biggest student sections in the country.

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It seems like the student section was a lot bigger then

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Like someone said, you got in by showing your ID. No tickets to buy. Just show up.

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A few years earlier when we played at Notre Dame (1970) some jerk in green said to me "We didn't know you {ya'll} were that good"...it was a 3-0 loss that I recall as one of the bes I ever saw.

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I was at that game and had a similar experience before the game. I was taking a leak in one of the buildings and a ND fan was next to me. He asked, "Do you think you have a chance against ND." I told him I thought we did. He then said, "Well, we've got a receiver named Gatewood, you've never seen anything like him." I answered, "We've got a defensive back named Casanova - Gatewood's never seen anything like him."

This was the first game ESPN ever broadcast and there are 3 versions of the game.


USC had a broadcast crew and you can find it on DVD easy.

ESPN had it's crew and a number of people have that copy on DVD out there.

The hardest to find is the LSU version of this broadcast, I want to say one person was Jimmy Taylor, it is on BETA at one of my friends house and I have been trying to get it form him for years.


I was at the game with my brother in law, we stood the whole game cheering the Tigers on. U-19 had more than allowed in it section, I know our row had 3 or more extra people standing in it.

I was told years later the gate people let friends and family into the game without tickets and many who just came by wanting in were also let in.

The crowd was over 80,000 and the noise was so loud you had to yell to the person next to you just to talk at times.

Chris Williams one handed three bounce interception with Kevin Williams all over him is one of the biggest interceptions in LSU history.

The crowd in U-19 did not sit at half time as in normal games. The feeling at half time was LSU had a chance to win, even with USC backing on the yards, there offense was being limited by the noise.

I saw the USC right side move before the face mask call, I also saw the line ref throw the flag on the play and turned to my brother in law and said movement on the line. We all saw the facemask flag and knew offsetting penalties were about to be called. But so how the other flag was gone when the face mask was called.

LSU got the ball back after USC scored the winning TD and Steve almost made the greatest play in LSU history, but it was not to be and at the end of the game the crowd stayed and cheered for 20-30 minutes until Mc came back out with the team, I do not think this has ever before or since that game that the team came back out and was applauded so long by the fans who had just witnessed one of the finest sporting evens ever played.

No it was not the greatest monment in LSU's long history but it was LSU finest monment in it's history.

We who were there will never forget that night in Death Valley and I only wish I could take the younger fans back in time to relive that game.