Lane Kiffin’s LSU has a huge SEC game coming up, but the biggest changes this week are happening outside the stadium. After a messy homecoming weekend, the school is tightening its game day rules, and Alabama’s visit to Death Valley will be the first real test. The question now is whether a tight rope for tailgating can keep the focus on football.
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“New regulations take effect Saturday, that prohibit unauthorized events and require student tailgates to wrap up one hour before kickoff, with officials vowing to shut down violations immediately,” captioned WWLTV on an Instagram post.
LSU System President Wade Rousse and Chancellor Jim Dalton announced the measures Monday, ahead of Saturday’s game on November 7.
The changes follow trouble after LSU’s October 17 homecoming game against Mississippi State. The school reported unauthorized gatherings, physical altercations, and disruptive behavior.
East Baton Rouge Parish deputies used pepper balls to break up crowds after fights. LSU had already promised more patrols and better crowd management, and this week rules go further.
LSU defines tailgating as gatherings that follow Athletics’ game-day rules and university policies, including food, drinks, tents, grills, televisions, and consumer-grade music at reasonable volumes.
“While tailgating is embedded within the fabric of our community, we must remember it is a shared privilege that mandates a safe environment focused on one event, the LSU football game,” Rousse said in the press release.
Large-scale gatherings that create unsafe conditions or block emergency access will be shut down. LSU Police Sgt. Marlon Hawkins said promoters can expect a warning first.
“Promoters and organizers of unauthorized events will be sent a cease and desist letter if they are advertising an event that’ll be brought to our attention ahead of game day,” Hawkins said.
Officials have also made it clear they won’t put up with violence, threats, disorderly conduct, or illegal drug activity. Students, though, will feel the biggest change.
Their tailgates have to end one hour before kickoff, and starting this weekend LSU will sweep the campus to make sure that happens. Once a tailgate ends, fans need to either head into the stadium or leave campus. No other events will be allowed during or after games. Traditional tailgates are the one exception, and they can keep going after the game for fans watching the broadcast.
“Tailgating is part of the community, part of the culture here at LSU, at football games. It’s a shared privilege that you know that we have a safe environment,” said Hawkins as he framed it as protecting the culture rather than limiting it.
A new Football and Tailgating Steering Committee is behind all of this. It will handle home game-day operations, public safety, crowd management, and which events get approved. The group includes the president and chancellor, campus safety officials, athletics executives, LSU police, emergency preparedness, Student Affairs, Greek Life, parking and facilities. Chancellor Jim Dalton said the goal is to find a balance between keeping the traditions and keeping people safe.
“We take great pride in delivering a one-of-a-kind experience for everyone who comes to campus for football games,” Dalton said. “Working together, we can preserve those traditions while also addressing the safety concerns of today. We have a responsibility to do both.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and both teams come in at 6-2. Alabama is 4-2 in the SEC, and LSU is 3-2, and both are coming off a Week 9 bye. Alabama lost to Georgia and Tennessee before beating Texas A&M, while LSU has won its last two against Mississippi State and Auburn.
The stakes go well beyond Saturday. Texas comes to Baton Rouge on November 14, and LSU then travels to Tennessee on November 21, with kickoff times for both still TBD. The season ends at Arkansas on November 28. Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee are three ranked SEC opponents in a row, and the new committee will be overseeing every home game along the way.