Nick Saban Shares the Challenges of Playing in LSU's Tiger Stadium

Saban reflects on the times he coached in Death Valley, the difficulties of suiting up in Baton Rouge.

Nov 4, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban talk together at midfield before the Alabama vs LSU game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Nick Saban has had his fair share of memories in Tiger Stadium over the years as both the head coach at LSU or visiting with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The iconic venue has become one of the toughest places to play in all of college football with Saban joining The Pat McAfee Show to detail the challenges of being the away team in Death Valley.

“Well, you know, let me just tell you a story, when I first went to LSU, they weren’t very good. I think they were 3-8 the year before. And in those days, you know, they picked what time you played based on how good you were,” Saban said. “Because to be on the CBS game was 2:30 [CT], you had to be good, because they always picked the best game. So we got to be halfway decent, we started having lots of 2:30 games, and the fans just went berserk because we weren’t playing at night.

“They wanted to use the whole day to get tuned up for a night game. And you know, I tried to give them a coaching point and say, ‘Why can’t you get half tuned up, go to the game, then half an after party and get further tuned up?’ But they didn’t buy that. So my point being, they will be juiced and ready to go, and it’s hard to play at LSU at night.”

The noise levels in Tiger Stadium make is such a challenging place to play with passionate fans filling the venue.

Saban reflected on the difficult times he's had in Death Valley; specifically when Tua Tagovailoa and Co. were unable to get in a groove.

“I mean, I remember when Tua [Tagovailoa] was playing for us and we had a really good team and we got the ball at the beginning of the game and we went right down the field. And we got down there on about the 20-yard line of the student section, we had like four straight false starts,” Saban said. “I mean we couldn’t go on silent; we couldn’t go on clap. We couldn’t get the ball snapped.” 

With the expansion of the College Football Playoff, there will be home playoff games in the future with legendary venues preparing to host critical matchups.

Saban dove into the SEC stadiums and how the passionate fans will make it a critical addition to football moving forward.

“We’ve never had playoff games in college that were at a home site, and it will be a huge advantage, especially in the SEC, because there’s so many hard places to play,” Saban said. “I mean it’s hard to play at A&M. It’s hard to play at . It’s hard to play in The Swamp. It’s hard to play at a lot of places, but that’s why the league is what it is.

“The people in the Southeast have great passion for football and college athletics, maybe more so than other places, because there were no pro sports in the south early on when they grew up. So they all relate to college athletics, which I think is fantastic. … The spirit and the passion in the Southeast is phenomenal.”

Now, the No. 9 ranked Ole Miss Rebels will prepare for a challenging atmosphere on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium with the Bayou Bengals hosting Lane Kiffin and Co. at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.

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