Fans had been counting down the days since December for this massive Week 1 showdown between LSU and Clemson. Tiger Stadium was packed to the brim, ready to welcome new head coach Lane Kiffin. But as dark skies rolled over Baton Rouge, thousands of rowdy fans refused to leave their seats, standing under an open sky while dangerous lightning bounced dangerously close to the stadium.

“It’s coming down in Baton Rouge 😱 The Clemson-LSU game at Tiger Stadium has been delayed due to rain and lightning 🌧️” Yahoo Sports posted, sharing a clip of the condition at Tiger Stadium with rain pouring in torrents as fans began clearing out.

The scheduled 7:49 p.m. ET kickoff was delayed as heavy rain hammered Baton Rouge and lightning moved within roughly eight miles of Tiger Stadium. The public-address announcer told the crowd kickoff would come “later than expected,” according to the Greenville News, while reports indicated the delay could stretch at least 90 minutes.

College football doesn’t get to negotiate with lightning. NCAA weather procedures generally require teams to wait at least 30 minutes after the last nearby lightning strike before play can resume, with the monitoring area typically extending around eight to 10 miles. So the stands emptied. Well, most of them.

Thousands of LSU students refused to evacuate the open stands despite visible nearby lightning and an official stadium warning. While no injuries occurred, meteorologists and officials noted that staying exposed during the storm meant fans actively risked their lives by ignoring critical safety protocols.

The LSU student section, however, wasn’t having it. Students stayed packed together, waving towels and cheering through the storm. In a strange twist, the emptying stadium almost made the students look even more determined. Rain was falling sideways, and they were still making noise.

LSU’s stadium staff leaned into the absurdity. Yahoo Sports senior writer Jay Busbee shared that the Tiger Stadium DJ started playing “Purple Rain,” “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” and “It’s Raining Men” while the purple lights came on around Tiger Stadium. Still, the situation felt a little surreal.

A few minutes earlier, this was supposed to be one of the biggest entrances of LSU’s season. Lane Kiffin already got his first taste of the Tiger Stadium experience before the rain arrived. He led LSU down Victory Hill during the traditional Tiger Walk, with former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, model and influencer Brooks Nader, and Louisiana native Theo Von among those around the event.

Fans lined the barricades several people deep, screaming “L-S-U!” as Lane Kiffin and the players walked toward the stadium. Even longtime LSU communications director Michael Bonnette couldn’t believe he was seeing all that. 

“I’ve never seen that before,” he remarked. 

Now the stadium was mostly empty, the players weren’t warming up, and everyone was waiting for the sky to make a decision. And that was only part of the drama surrounding Lane Kiffin’s debut.

Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut already had plenty of drama

Before the kickoff, LSU had a dilemma. Should they play or not play Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris against Clemson? Ultimately, they chose not to play the two former NFL players who have returned to college football. The issue has become one of the more complicated parts of Lane Kiffin’s first season. The SEC had adopted a rule barring players who had signed with NFL teams, but a Louisiana court put that rule on hold. Still, the head coach acknowledged the decision wasn’t easy.

“As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in,” he said on ESPN’s College GameDay, adding that he believes they deserve a chance to play. “But at the same time, I’m the head coach of LSU, and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program with the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster.”

So even before kickoff, LSU had controversy, a new coach, two sidelined players, and an opponent with plenty to prove. Clemson went 7-6 last season, including 4-4 in ACC play. Then the weather showed up. Now, nobody knows exactly when the game will start.

But as the rain began easing and LSU’s purple lights cut through the wet night, the mood inside Tiger Stadium changed again. Fans were coming back. And judging by that student section, nobody seemed particularly interested in going home.