By Andrew Reed

Throughout the season, SIOC will travel to different schools and grade the tailgate scene in 10 categories. Today's stop: LSU

Setting

Like many of LSU's diehards, these fans aren't afraid to add a little purple bodypaint to their outfits. Photo by Andrew Reed

More Tailgate Report Cards Notre Dame Clemson LSU Georgia Tech Nebraska Wisconsin Washington Red River Shootout Purdue Bridgewater Rutgers Harvard Ohio State Tennessee Michigan USC Auburn

Sites ranged from open fields, assigned parking lots and grass nestled between trees, roads and buildings right on campus. If you want a prime spot, you have to get there early. And by early, I mean the night before. Most people with on-campus setups erected their tents during a Friday evening downpour, but all would later declare the soaking worthwhile.
Grade: A-

Superfans

There must have been a sale on body paint at Target because I saw more purple people than at a Prince fan club meeting. A large crowd of dyed students surrounded a gate three hours before kickoff, hoping to get seats close to the field and near the TV cameras. Others had pimp hats or various getups featuring tiger stripes. Thankfully, there were no Zubaz pants to be found.
Grade: A-

Knowledge of Fans

As long as the discussion stayed within the realm of the SEC, fans were generally on the ball. Everybody not only knew all about Billy Cannon's 1959 punt return against Ole Miss, apparently they were all seated in the corner of the endzone where he scored. There was a strong faction of revelers who were clearly just there for the tailgate with football being an afterthought.
Grade: C+

Eye Candy

Early in the day, the ladies were pretty much absent, however as time went on, they started to turn up. They frequently wore denim shorts and purple or gold t-shirts, with the occasional purple sundress.
Grade: B+

Cheers and Songs

Whenever a Hokie supporter would pass, tailgaters would growl, roar, and shout "Tigah Bait!" Then they would immediately invite the opposing fans in for a drink and some food. It was a somewhat beautiful system of castigation followed by cordial generosity. Most of the Hokies I talked to said it got a little old by the end of the day, but it was a lot better than what they could have yelled. Lots of music was played, but what caught my attention was all the Zydeco and other New Orleans grooves.
Grade: A-

Eats

We're not sure what this LSU fan is stirring up, but we give it an A. Photo by Andrew Reed

If you love Cajun food, an LSU tailgate is the place for you. The first offering of the day was a spicy piece of Boudin (pronounced Boo-dahn) which is kind of like dirty rice turned into sausage form. From there, we got into jambalaya, pastalaya, crawfish étouffée, boiled shrimp, and gumbo. Of course, you could still find kebabs, burgers and hot dogs as well, but the local flavor was far more appealing.
Grade: A

Drinks

A liquor store in town sported a sign claiming, "Bourbon Tastes Like Football," and there was plenty of bourbon to go around on Saturday. One group enjoyed oyster shooters starting at 10 a.m., and, of course, beer was plentiful.
Grade: B+

Best Tailgate

There were a few more elaborate setups in the RV section. The one that stood out the most was the trailer splashed with purple and gold. It featured a ceiling fan suspended over the seating area.
Grade: B-

Yard Games

While younger crowds played quite a bit of beer pong, the most popular game in town was washers (aka -- Hot Tub Party). It's reminiscent of Bozo Buckets, played with metal washers in place of ping pong balls. The biggest challenge was to time your toss just right so you avoided clunking one of the many kids running around.
Grade: B-

X-factor

More than any other place I've been, tailgating at LSU is a party. Fans blast tunes at full volume from boomin' systems all day long. People dance and drink and the party keeps building up until kickoff. LSU Tailgaters hate when TV forces their home games to be played in the afternoon. You get the feeling that the main reason it's a problem is that the party is cut short -- like the cops have come to shut things down due to noise violation.
Grade: A-

At LSU, fans really get into their tailgates. I spoke with many who were planning to watch the game at home, but wouldn't dare miss out on the all-day revelry. Aside from the frequent stereo battles and the occasional off-key karaoke singer, I found little to sneeze at. The Louisiana flavor was everywhere. I doubt I'm going to eat that well for the rest of the season. People were friendly and often invited the enemy in for food and drink. After growling at them. Despite the oppressive heat, it was a great day to "laissez les bon temps roulez."

To read more of Andrew Reed's tailgate reports, check out his Road Games blog.