When LSU fans woke up on Sept. 27 and planned their day around their football program, their Tigers were ranked fourth in the nation. LSU was 4-0 at that point. An offseason of spending had LSU looking like a legitimate contender to win the SEC and get back to the College Football Playoff.
Hours later that same day, LSU lost to Ole Miss. That was the start of a 5-game stretch that featured 4 losses and cost Brian Kelly his job. With the season crashing and burning in spectacular fashion, LSU fans can be forgiven for spending their Saturday mornings a little differently now.
On Saturday, with the Tigers hosting Arkansas in a battle of interim-coach-led programs, Tiger Stadium was looking a little sad.
A pair of beat writers covering the game from the press box captured the scene some 20 minutes prior to kickoff.
LSU announced an attendance of 101,924 for its previous home game on Oct. 25, a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M that was the final nail in the coffin for Kelly.
On one hand, Saturday’s contest with Arkansas is the last SEC home game of the season. The Tigers host Western Kentucky next week and then travel to Norman for the regular-season finale.
On the other hand, the weather in Baton Rouge was fairly decent, and plenty of families probably felt they had better ways to spend their afternoon than watching a 5-4 football team with a backup quarterback and an interim coach battle a 2-7 football team with an interim coach.
LSU averaged more than 99,000 at its home games in 2024, per D1.ticker. While that number was the eighth-best nationally and right in line with LSU’s 5-year average, it was slightly under its 2023 average. The 2025 numbers will surely highlight just how disappointing the end to the Kelly tenure was for all involved.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
